• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

		Conservation by Design Conservation by Design The First 10 Years The Basics: A Science-Based Approach The Basics: Key Analytical Methods Conservation by Design Gateway Download PDF   En Español   Versão   em Português   in Chinese (PDF) ConserveOnline

Setting Priorities

Sonoran Desert Ecoregional Plan: Identifying Conservation Targets

The Nature Conservancy convened a binational team in the late 1990s to compile and analyze biological and other data for the 55-million acre Sonoran Desert Ecoregion. The team selected a representative sample of the ecoregion’s species, plant communities, and ecosystems to serve as conservation targets, making sure to select those species and communities rarely found outside the ecoregion. The combined use of species, community, and ecological system data enabled the team to capture the broadest array of biodiversity:

• A total of 353 species were selected as conservation targets. Examples of species selected include the Bendire’s thrasher, desert tortoise, lesser long-nosed bat, and saguaro cactus.
• A total of 78 terrestrial natural vegetation communities native to the Sonoran Desert Ecoregion were identified as conservation targets. Examples of these communities include cottonwood-willow riparian woodland, creosotebush/tobosa grassland, coastal dune, and bursage-paloverde-jojoba shrubland. Several aquatic communities, such as springs and playa lakes, also were identified as conservation targets.
• Nearly all native fish species were included as conservation targets. Examples of fish species selected include the desert pupfish, Loach minnow, Sonora sucker, Gila chub, and bonytail.