Evaluating Ecological Conservation Gaps Across a Proposed Sentinel Landscape

California’s southern central coast contains one of the last remaining stretches of undeveloped coastline in the state and is a critical location for conservation. However, the region supports diverse needs that may threaten biodiversity. As a result, conservation efforts are often hindered by conflict between recommended actions and their feasibility, known as a planning-implementation gap. The proposed Vandenberg Sentinel Landscape Partnership (VSLP) could enhance collaboration and accelerate conservation in the region, bridging this gap. For our project, we demonstrated the necessity of the proposed VSLP to achieve regional conservation goals. Interviews with VSLP partners revealed biodiversity preservation as a top priority, with political, resource, and collaboration barriers impeding progress. Southern steelhead trout recovery and wildlife connectivity emerged as top concerns, prompting spatial analyses to identify critical areas for action. While assessing steelhead over-summering habitat suitability, we identified a need for more stream habitat monitoring, particularly in the Gaviota, Jalama, and Santa Maria watersheds. This highlights the need for a VSLP to improve data sharing and monitoring in freshwater systems. While evaluating wildlife connectivity, we identified areas with constrained wildlife movement and high-quality habitat under threat, often in mixed land use areas. Effective interventions are site-specific, depending on land use and movement constraints. This emphasizes the importance of diverse partnerships to protect habitat and connect fragmented landscapes. Overall, our findings emphasize the critical need for a VSLP to streamline projects, bridge the conservation planning-implementation gap, and drive regional conservation forward.

Acknowledgements

UC Santa Barbara Bren School: Dr. Ruth Oliver, Assistant Professor; Dr. Frank Davis, Distinguished Professor Emeritus; Dr. Ashley Larsen, Associate Professor; Dr. Bruce Kendall, Associate Dean, Professor; Dr. Chris Jerde, Lecturer; Jamie Miller, PhD Student

Dr. Summer Gray, Associate Professor, UC Santa Barbara Environmental Studies Department

Bill Leahy, Co-Director; Allie Cole, Project Associate, LegacyWorks Group

Dr. Elizabeth Hiroyasu, Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve Scientist, The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

David Levine, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Environmental Intelligence LLC

Interview Participants and Expert Consultation

California Department of Fish and Wildlife: Alejandro Caamano Barrientos, Environmental Scientist; Kyle Evans, Senior Environmental Scientist Supervisor, Regional Program Coordinator

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

Michael Delbar, Chief Executive Officer, California Rangeland Trust

Elizabeth Burns, Project Coordinator - Southern Steelhead Coalition, Cal Trout

Coastal Ranches Conservancy: Doug Campbell, Former Executive Director; Candice Meneghin, Executive Director

Community Environmental Council: Em Johnson, Director of Climate Resilience; Bre Sliker, Climate Smart Agriculture Projects Manager

Stephanie Wald, Watershed Project Manager, Creek Lands Conservation

Doug Kern, Executive Director, Gaviota Coast Conservancy

Ben Halpern, Executive Director, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Mark Capelli, South-Central/Southern California Steelhead Recovery Coordinator; Bob Pagliuco, WCR Taskers Lead; Melisa Rodriguez, Marine Habitat Resource Specialist

Teresa Romero, Director, Native Coast Action Network

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission: Anne Elston, Manager of the Passage Assessment Database (PAD) [Data Management Specialist II]; Van Hare, GIS Manager

Garrett Wong, Climate Program Manager, Santa Barbara County

Devin Rothman, Director of Land Conservation, Santa Barbara Land Trust

Brian Holguin, Consultant and Community Member, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians

Devin Best, Executive Director, San Luis Obispo Resource Conservation District

Mauricio Gomez, Director, South Coast Habitat Restoration

Mark Reynolds, TNC Point Conception Institute Director and Lead Scientist for Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

Emma Chow, District Conservationist, United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service

Christina (Christie) Boser, Wildlife Biologist, United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Darryl York, Environmental Section Chief, Vandenberg Space Force Base