Blueprint V 1.3 With Connectors and Hubs

This map shows the Main Conservation Layers (Priorities P1 and P2, and Connectivity - Hubs and Connectors) for Blueprint Version 1.3. P1 and P2 represent 'Highest" and 'High' Landscape Priorities, respectively.

Blueprint V. 1.3 includes eleven Conservation Assets: nine terrestrial systems, and two estuarine: Coastal Uplands, Freshwater Aquatic (includes Lakes and Ponds, River and streams, and Springs), Freshwater Forested Wetlands, Freshwater Non-Forested Wetlands, Hardwood Forested Uplands, High Pine and Scrub, Pine Flatwoods and Dry Prairie, Working Lands (I and II), and the two estuarine resources - saltwater marsh and mangrove swamp. Additional Marine and Estuarine Conservation Assets are currently under development and will be included in the next version of the Blueprint.

Conservation Assets (CAs) were identified by associated land covers in the Cooperative Land Cover (CLC) Version 3.3 (completed in December 2018). Conservation Assets included in the Blueprint were extracted from the CLC and then subject to initial criteria for eligibility and then to final prioritization based on CLIP 4.0. Conservation assets that met the initial criteria as described below were then prioritized based on the CLIP 4.0 Aggregated Model. Eligible CAs in CLIP P1 were classified as P1 in the Blueprint, and the rest were classified as P2 in the Blueprint.

Conservation Assets extracted from the CLC were subject to the following initial criteria before the final Blueprint prioritization:

• P1 – P3 of the Landscape Resource Layer, or
• P1 - P2 of the Surface Water core layer (followed by a region group procedure and removal of groups less than an acre), or
• P1 of Natural Communities core layer (except ponds/lakes and freshwater non-forested wetlands, or any Working Lands), or
• P1 of Florida habitats core layer, or
• P1-P2 of the floodplain core layer, or
• P1-P2 of the wetlands core layer.
• Combined results from above were then run through the region group procedure and groups less than an acre were eliminated.

The Connectivity layer -- Hubs and Connectors -- is also included in this data set. Hubs represent Conservation Assets within the two highest integrity levels (labeled 9 and 10) from the Landscape Integrity core layer (CLIP). ArcGIS Region Group procedure was used to identify individual zones, followed by removal of groups of less than 20,000 acres and an additional three groups that were not linked with other hubs through connectors. Connectors represent the Conservation Assets that occur within the P1 Critical Linkages in the Greenways core layer). Hubs and Connectors were than overlaid and all overlapping pixels were relabeled to 'Hub.'