DOI: 10.5061/dryad.44j0zpcn0
title: Data from: Identifying critical vegetation types for biodiversity conservation in the Americas

description: The Americas contain highly biodiverse yet vulnerable ecosystems, with
 many threatened species inadequately protected. Finer-scale, localized
 habitat assessments are crucial for effective conservation planning, but
 continental-scale high-resolution vegetation maps remain limited. This
 study addresses this gap by identifying critical vegetation types across
 the Americas using the standardized framework of the International
 Vegetation Classification (IVC) system at the macrogroup level,
 representing the finest vegetation classification available across the
 region, as well as the highest-resolution Area of Habitat (AOH) maps
 currently available for birds and mammals. By combining these
 high-resolution IVC macrogroup maps with detailed AOH maps, we highlight
 at-risk vegetation types based on 1) threatened and macrogroup-associated
 species (species that have at least 50% of their AOH in one macrogroup),
 2) current protection levels, and 3) projected threats from land use
 changes, and 4) develop a conservation value index (CVI) that accounts for
 all these factors. The results highlighted the remarkable diversity of
 high conservation value macrogroups across the Americas, emphasizing their
 significance in regions such as the Andes, montane Mesoamerica, the
 Caribbean, Brazil's Cerrado, and the Atlantic Forest. Among the
 highest-scoring macrogroups, the Northern Andean Montane & Upper
 Montane Humid Forest emerged as critically important, harboring a high
 number of threatened and macrogroup-associated species. Other macrogroups
 of immediate conservation concern include the Brazilian Atlantic Montane
 Humid Forest, Pacific Mesoamerican Seasonal Dry Forest, Caribbean Lowland
 Humid Forest, and Central Midwest Oak Forest, Woodland and Savanna.
 However, the study revealed that nearly three-quarters of the over 300
 macrogroups in the Americas fall below the global target of 30%
 protection. Notably, a fifth of all species were macrogroup-associated
 species, including over 40% of threatened species. Our findings emphasize
 the need for targeted conservation strategies that consider finer-scale
 habitat classifications and paired with high-quality species distribution
 data to guide conservation strategies for biodiversity across the
 Americas.
description: Data Collection Vegetation Types
 The study utilized the International Vegetation Classification
 (IVC) system, focusing on the macrogroup level consisting of 321 natural
 vegetation types. This systematic approach enables a detailed vegetation
 analysis based on ecological criteria. The size of these macrogroups
 ranged significantly, with the vegetation map having a spatial resolution
 of 90 x 90 meters, reflecting vegetation as of 2010. All maps were
 resampled for consistent resolution. Species
 Distribution Area of Habitat (AOH) maps from
 Lumbierres et al. (2022) were used to assess terrestrial birds and
 mammals' habitat patterns in the Americas. The dataset included 6,204
 species, with 1,868 mammals and 4,336 birds, offering a detailed 100 x
 100-meter resolution. Migratory birds had separate AOH maps for different
 life stages, which were combined for analysis.
 Protected Areas Polygon data from the World
 Database of Protected Areas (WDPA) was employed to evaluate the protection
 status of IVC macrogroups. The database includes 273,263 polygons across
 six protection classes, and all terrestrial areas and OECMs were
 considered. Projected Land-use
 Future anthropogenic land-use was projected using high-resolution
 models from Chen et al. (2020), covering various SSP and RCP scenarios.
 The SSP3-RCP4.5 scenario was specifically chosen for its moderate outlook.
 Land types were grouped, and the projected percentage of anthropogenic
 land use by 2030 was calculated to align with the Aichi Biodiversity
 Targets. Data Processing An
 overlay analysis of IVC macrogroup and AOH data determined species
 composition within each macrogroup. Migratory birds were handled
 separately, combining three AOH maps. Species were then filtered by
 threatened status using IUCN Red List categories. Macrogroup-associated
 species were defined as having at least half of their AOH within one
 macrogroup. Protected area coverage was assessed by overlaying macrogroup
 and protected area data. Future land use data was integrated to estimate
 land conversion probabilities by 2030. These steps were used to develop a
 Conservation Value Index (CVI). Conservation Value
 Index The CVI was calculated using a formula that
 equally weighs the number of threatened species, macrogroup-associated
 species, the percentage of macrogroup protection, and average land use
 within the macrogroup. The index offers a composite metric for assessing
 vegetation types for conservation, with adaptable parameters suitable for
 various contexts.
description: # Data from: Identifying critical vegetation types for biodiversity
 conservation in the Americas ## Description This dataset provides
 geospatial information on critical vegetation types across the Americas,
 aimed at supporting biodiversity conservation planning. It includes a TIFF
 file representing the distribution of various vegetation types, with
 accompanying metadata and reference files. ## Authors Lea Schulte, Luise
 Quoss, Patrick J. Comer, Maria Lumbierres, Emmanuel Oceguera, Henrique
 Pereira, Jose Valdez ## Publication Date February 2024 ## Dataset Contents
 * Critical vegetation types Americas.tif - Raster file representing
 critical vegetation types in the Americas. * Critical vegetation types
 Americas.vat.dbf - Value Attribute Table file containing attribute data
 associated with the raster image. * Critical vegetation types Americas.tfw
 - TIFF World File providing georeferencing information for the raster
 image. * Critical vegetation types Americas.aux - Auxiliary file
 containing additional metadata for the raster image. * Critical vegetation
 types Americas.ovr - Overview file for improved performance at different
 zoom levels. * Critical vegetation types Americas.cpg - Code Page File
 specifying the character encoding used in the attribute table or other
 associated files. ## Abbreviations for the Attribute table * VALUE =
 Unique identifier for each vegetation type * MACROGROUP = Macrogroup
 vegetation type * PERCENT PR = Percent Protected * PERCENT LA = Percent
 Land use change 2030 * SIZE KM2 = Size in km2 * TOT ALL = Total All * TOT
 SQKM = Total per sqkm * TOT MAMMAL = Total Mammals * TOT BIRDS = Total
 Birds * TOT NON MI = Total Non-migratory Birds * TOT MIGRAT = Total
 Migratory Birds * THRT ALL = Threatened All * THRT SQKM = Threatened per
 sqkm * THRT MAMM = Threatened Mammals * THRT BIRD = Threatened Birds *
 THRT NON M = Threatened Non-migratory Birds * THRT MIGRA = Threatened
 Migratory Birds * MA ALL = Macrogroup-associated All * MA SQKM =
 Macrogroup-associated per sqkm * MA MAMMAL = Macrogroup-associated Mammals
 * MA BIRD = Macrogroup-associated Birds * MA NON MI =
 Macrogroup-associated Non-migratory Birds * MA MIGRAT =
 Macrogroup-associated Migratory Birds * THRMA ALL = Threatened
 Macrogroup-associated All * THRMA SQKM = Threatened Macrogroup-associated
 per sqkm * THRMA MAMM = Threatened Macrogroup-associated Mammals * THRMA
 BIRD = Threatened Macrogroup-associated Birds * THRMA NONM = Threatened
 Macrogroup-associated Non-migratory Birds * THRMA MIGR = Threatened
 Macrogroup-associated Migratory Birds * CVI = Conservation Value Index ##
 Reference Schulte, L., Quoss, L., Comer, P. J., Lumbierres, M., Oceguera
 Conchas, E., Pereira, H.M., & Valdez, J. W. (2024). Identifying
 Critical Vegetation Types for Biodiversity Conservation in the Americas.
 Global Ecology and Conservation, e02831. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02831
 ## Background Resources * Comer, P. J., Hak, J. C., Dockter, D., &
 Smith, J. (2022). Integration of vegetation classification with land
 cover mapping: lessons from regional mapping efforts in the Americas.
 *Vegetation Classification and Survey*, *3*, 29-43. DOI: 10.3897/VCS.67537
 * Lumbierres, M., et al. (2022). Area of Habitat maps for the world’s
 terrestrial birds and mammals. *Sci. Data*, 9, 749. DOI:
 10.1038/s41597-022-01838-w * Chen, M., Vernon, C.R., Graham, N.T. *et al.*
 (2020). Global land use for 2015–2100 at 0.05° resolution under diverse
 socioeconomic and climate scenarios. *Sci Data* **7**, 320. DOI:
 ## Contact For
 inquiries, please contact Dr. Jose Valdez at .