Conservation
Assessment and
Prioritization System
(CAPS)
Massachusetts Index of Ecological Integrity
|
This page
contains all CAPS data pertaining to the Massachusetts Index of Ecological
Integrity analysis.
|
 |
|
Quicklinks:
|
 |
|
Overview of CAPS IEI Data:
CAPS computes an Index of Ecological Integrity (IEI) which depicts the
relative wildlife habitat and biodiversity value of any point on the landscape
based on landscape ecology principles and expert opinion (see CAPS
data for a more detailed explanation and CAPS
documentation for supporting documentation). Currently, IEI maps depicting
the top 50% of lands with the highest ecological integrity have been completed
for 112 communities in western Massachusetts (see status
map).
|
|
|
|
It is estimated that statewide assessment and mapping of Ecological Integrity
value will be completed by the end of 2009. As new areas of Massachusetts
are assessed, additional town maps will be posted on this web site and
updated maps will be created for those towns for which IEI maps previously
existed. The maps now posted on this web site are the most current versions
available and were last updated on June 1, 2008.
These maps are for information only and are not referenced by any regulatory
program. However, MassDEP has recently adopted a new approach to wildlife
habitat management via assessment and mapping of important wildlife habitat
for use in wetland protection review and permitting. This approach utilizes
the Conservation Prioritization and Assessment System (CAPS) to create
a set of maps that depict "Habitat of Potential Regional or Statewide
Importance." Follow this link to access maps of "Important Habitat"
for purposes of implementing the wildlife habitat provisions of the MA
Wetlands Protection Act. [click
here for DEP CAPS].
|
 |
|
Mass IEI Maps: [back to top]
PDF maps depicting areas of potential high ecological integrity
are available for the following 112 towns in western Massachusetts,
plus a single map encompassing the entire region. Depicted on these maps
are those areas representing 50% of the landscape with the highest IEI
values overlaid onto USGS topographic maps to help provide geographical
references for important areas. The darker the color the higher the integrity
value. File sizes are quite large (2-6 Mb) and download times will be long
unless you have a high-speed internet connection.
|
 |
|
Mass IEI GIS Data: [back to top]
GIS data (ArcGIS grids) corresponding to the CAPS maps above for the
combined region of western Massachusetts are available here. [click
here for GIS data]. Note, this zip file(6 Mb) contains a single Arc
grid for the entire region containing the final index of ecological integrity
value (ranging from 0 to 100) from which the IEI maps above were derived.
A more complete GIS data set containing the landcover and results grids
is included in the following zip file [click here to download
data]. Note, this is a very large file (38 Mb) containing many Arc
grids and the use of this database requires GIS expertise. A text file
named whatswhere.txt is included in the zip file and describes the content
of the CD. The full GIS data set, as described in the whatswhere.txt file,
is available on a DVD from the authors.
|
 |
|
Acknowledgements: [back
to top]
Funding support for CAPS was provided by UMass, Massachusetts Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs and The Trustees of Reservations. Data
sources include the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information
(MassGIS). UMass is partnering with the Highland Communities Initiative
to provide the results of CAPS analyses and technical assistance in using
this information for setting conservation priorities in the 38-town Highland
Regional of Western Massachusetts. Click here for more information about
the Highland Communities
Initiative.

|
 |
|
Contact Information: [back
to top]
For assistance with interpretation of CAPS results or to report technical
difficulties regarding access to the information on this page, please contact
either Scott Jackson (sjackson@umext.umass.edu)
or Kasey Rolih (krolih@nrc.umass.edu).
|