Linkage Mapper Version 3

What is new in v3.0.0?

• Compatibility with ArcGIS Pro
• Linkage Priority Tool improvements (see next newsletter item)
• User Guide improvements
• Back-end engineering and code refactoring
• Re-writing of the GitHub commit history to make the repository smaller
• Improved Error Messages and Log Files
• Climate-wise Connectivity Improvements in Version 3.0.0

There are many climate considerations that can be incorporated in habitat connectivity modeling and mapping. Two considerations have previously been modeled in isolation from each other, and yield quite different recommendations for linkage priority. However, we discovered that they are two ends of the same continuous framework, and Linkage Mapper Version 3.0.0 allows the user to model for one, or the other, or an appropriate blend between both (which we recommend). The first consideration is “range shift connectivity”, and gives linkages a higher priority for conservation if they are predicted to connect a core area that might become too hot/dry in the future with a core that is expected to be much cooler/wetter. The other is “climate analog connectivity” giving higher priority to linkages with the destination core having the same predicted climate at a future time (e.g. 2050), as the climate in the source core at the current time. We also added “preferred climate” as an optional parameter in differentiating among destination cores.