Development and application of a GIS based evaluation for prioritization of wetland restoration opportunities

Oregon's tidal wetlands were recently mapped with a geographic information system (GIS). State-wide, over 2,000 restoration consideration areas were delineated. These require on-the-ground assessment to determine actual restoration potential. Given the large number of potential restoration opportunities, automated GIS tools were developed to assist resource managers in prioritizing areas which have less hydrologic alteration and more favorable landscape ecology criteria. Areas with less cumulative alteration may be preferred as restoration opportunities and merit initial on-site feasibility studies. The Coos estuary and watershed located in southern Oregon was used as an example of a regional application. A prioritization of 530 potential restoration sites was performed. Automated GIS tools were developed for nine parameters. Parameters were limited to factors affecting wetland hydrology at local or landscape scales and landscape ecology criteria. Analysis of each parameter was successfully implemented with automation techniques available in ArcGIS 9.2. Tabular output of the automated models was used to prioritize potential restoration sites. Prioritization ranks were calculated with a three tiered weighted summation determined by restoration practitioners from the Coos estuary region. Standardized prioritization ranks ranged from 0.479 –1.000 with a mean of 0.724. Higher scores indicate less cumulative hydrologic alteration and more favorable landscape ecology criteria. Calculated values, standardized parameter scores, and prioritized rankings of potential restoration sites were stored in a Microsoft Access database coupled with a geodatabase containing spatial geometry. The use of automated spatial evaluations of ecologically important criteria across large geographic regions ensures objective and consistent methods across multiple locations and users. These automated tools present repeatable and flexible methods of spatial analysis for evaluation and prioritization of potential restoration sites in Oregon.