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ABSTRACT |
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TITLE: |
Direct Relevance to the Natural Gas Industry of the Habitat Fragmentation/Biodiversity Issue Resulting from the Construction of New Pipelines |
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AUTHOR(S): |
Raymond Hinkle - ray_hinkle@urscorp.com Sherri Albrecht - sherri_albrecht@urscorp.com Eric Nathanson - eric_nathanson@urscorp.com Jim Evans - JamesMEvans@lightfirst.com |
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There has been an increasing interest on
the part of federal and state regulators to evaluate linear project impacts
on otherwise unfragmented blocks of habitat.
Habitat fragmentation has two components: (1) reduction in total habitat
area, which may affect population size and (2) reorganization of areas into disjunct fragments, which may affect dispersal and
immigration rates. Concerns over these impacts have led to alterations in the
selection of right of way (ROW) alignments that avoid large blocks of unfragmented habitat at significant additional cost to
industry. A literature review found that linear projects have the potential
to modify wildlife habitats in a variety of ways, both beneficial and
adverse. A survey of regulatory agencies and industry representatives showed
that habitat fragmentation is addressed indirectly by regulations aimed at
protection of the environment and sensitive species and by a multitude of
federal and state policies and guidelines. It is most commonly an issue in
forested habitats, but has also been a concern in grasslands, deserts,
wetlands and riparian habitats. Habitat fragmentation is a complex issue with
specific concerns ranging from the obvious (e.g., breaking large habitat blocks into smaller areas; general
habitat disturbance) to the more subtle (e.g., invasion of exotic species;
facilitation or hindrance of movement; nest predation). Species that have
been of concern include aquatic species, amphibians, reptiles, insects,
migratory and resident birds, raptors, and large and small mammals. With
proper planning and construction implementation, many adverse impacts
associated with habitat fragmentation can be avoided and benefits can be
maximized. Keywords: Habitat(s), habitat fragmentation, rights-of-way
(ROW), linear projects, pipeline(s) |
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