1. MODELLING LANDSCAPE
RESILIENCE OF THE
ANNAPOLIS VALLEY REGION,
NOVA SCOTIA
An Implementation of the University of
Massachusetts’ CAPS software using ArcGIS
By: Karissa Reischke
(The Nature Conservancy, 2010)

2. OUTLINE
 Background
 AGRG’s Landscape Modelling Framework
 UMASS’ CAPS software
 Landscape Permeability & Landscape Complexity
 Study Areas
 Objectives of Project
 Interactive Tool Dialogs
 Tool Help
 Flexibility for User
 Geoprocessing with Python
 Final Results
 PROS & CONS of the CAPS Approach
 Conclusions

3. APPLIED GEOMATICS RESEARCH GROUP’S
LANDSCAPE MODELLING FRAMEWORK
 Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources
 Compute Landscape Metrics
 Patch Density, Size, Shape
 Mean Nearest Neighbour
 Occurrence Count of Patches
 Understand Ecological Processes
 Informed management decisions
 Quantify spatial patterns (temporal)

4. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS’ CAPS
SOFTWARE
 Conservation and Assessment Prioritization System
(CAPS)
 Assess ecological integrity
 Prioritize conservation management for Nova
Scotia
Ability to sustain
ecosystems and
biodiversity for a long
period of time.

5. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS’ CAPS
SOFTWARE (CONTINUED)

6. LANDSCAPE PERMEABILITY
 “degree to which a landscape can sustain
ecological processes and facilitate movement for
several species” (Anderson et al, 2011)
 Species connected to resource patches
 Constrained versus Unconstrained
 Habitat fragmentation
 Prioritizing conservation
(Reid, 2012)

7. LANDSCAPE COMPLEXITY
 Variation in Microclimates caused by:
 Landform Variety
 Wetland Density
 Elevation
 Temperature, Moisture gradient, etc.
 Species shift to optimal microclimatic conditions
(Valley Summer Theatre, 2014)

8. STUDY AREAS: SMALL SCALE
 Annapolis Valley region, N.S.

9. STUDY AREA: LARGE SCALE
 Lawrencetown region, N.S.

10. OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT
 Implement UMASS’ CAPS software with ArcGIS
 Three Interactive Tool Dialogs
 Landscape Permeability
 Landscape Complexity
 Landscape Resilience
 Flexibility for User
 Make Recommendations:
 Model for Landscape Modelling Framework
 Where to Prioritize Conservation in Nova Scotia

11. THREE INTERACTIVE TOOL DIALOGS
 Ensure comprehension, flexibility for user

12. INTERACTIVE TOOL DIALOGS:
TOOL HELP
 Additional information about parameters used to compute
measurements
 Clarify any specifications required for a parameter
 i.e. dBASE table

13. INTERACTIVE TOOL DIALOGS:
MESSAGES
 Inform user on
processing state
 Identify time-consuming
processes within script

14. INTERACTIVE TOOL DIALOGS:
FLEXIBILITY FOR USER
 Provide Options for User
 Can use Different Input Layers
 i.e. Biosystems versus Landforms
 Tool Parameters used to Compute Landscape
Permeability and Landscape Complexity

15. 1. LANDSCAPE PERMEABILITY
 Clip Input Layers?
 Options for Land Cover
Classification:
 Default: FOR_NON
 Identify Field for
Classification
 Options for Resistant
Weights:
 Default: Slider
 dBASE Table
 Identify Field for
Resistant Weights
 Output Cell Size?

16. 2. LANDSCAPE COMPLEXITY
 Clip Input Layers?
 Identify Field for
Landform Types
 Options for Wetlands:
 Default: FOR_NON
 Identify Field for
Wetlands
 Radiuses for Focal
Statistics
 Output Cell Size?

17. 3. LANDSCAPE RESILIENCE
 Combine Landscape Permeability & Landscape
Complexity
 Output Cell Size?

18. GEOPROCESSING WITH PYTHON:
LANDSCAPE PERMEABILITY
 Convert to Raster
(based on assigned Resistant Weights)
 Add all Rasters together with Map Algebra
 Focal Statistics (Circle, 3 kilometers, Mean)
 Rescale raster values between 0 and 100:
 ((x - minimum) / (maximum - minimum)) * 100

19. ASSIGNING RESISTANT WEIGHTS FOR EACH
LAND COVER CLASS
 High Resistant Weights = Impermeable
 Low Resistant Weights = Permeable

20. LANDSCAPE PERMEABILITY

21. GEOPROCESSING WITH PYTHON:
LANDSCAPE COMPLEXITY
 Focal Statistics tool

22. GEOPROCESSING WITH PYTHON:
LANDSCAPE COMPLEXITY
o Standardize into z-values…
• Z = (x – μ) / σ
o LC = (2 * LV + WD + ER) / 4
Landform
Variety
Elevation
Range
Wetland
Density
Landscape
Complexity
• Focal Statistics
- Circle
- Large-scale
radius
- Variety
• Focal Statistics
- Circle
- Large-scale
radius
- Range
• Focal Statistics
- Circle
- Large-scale
radius
- Sum
• Focal Statistics
- Circle
- Small-scale radius
- Sum
• 0.66 * Large-scale WD
+
0.33 * Small-scale WD

23. LANDSCAPE COMPLEXITY

24. GEOPROCESSING WITH PYTHON:
LANDSCAPE RESILIENCE
 Convert Landscape Permeability and Landscape
Complexity into z-values…
 Z = (x – μ) / σ
 (Landscape Permeability
+ = Landscape
Landscape Complexity) / 2 Resilience
 Rescale raster values between 0 and 100
 Resample raster cell size?

25. LANDSCAPE RESILIENCE

26. FINAL RESULTS
 Permeability
 Constrained in New Minas region
 Complexity
 North Mountain (change in landforms & elevation)
 Prioritize Conservation:
 Minas Basin region
 Along North Mountain throughout Annapolis Valley
 microclimates

27. PROS & CONS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
MASSACHUSETTS’ CAPS APPROACH
PROS CONS

28. CONCLUSIONS
 Prioritize conservation in the New Minas region
 CAPS = Robust model
 Compare with other approaches
 Species-independent
 Expand…
 Add Landscape Permeability and Landscape
Complexity to LMF
 Important Landscape Metric
 Coarse spatial analysis

29. ANY QUESTIONS?