Aaron Jones
Spatial Scientist, New Mexico
Livingston, MT
Aaron Jones Aaron Jones is the Spatial Scientist for TNC New Mexico. © Aaron Jones
Areas of Expertise
Geospatial analysis, cartography, landscape ecology, connectivity modeling, data visualization
Links
Contact
Email: ajones@tnc.orgBiography
As spatial scientist for The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico, Aaron applies the “science of where” to distill complex geospatial data into actionable, evidence-based insights that help advance TNC’s measurable conservation outcomes.
Since 2008, Aaron’s work has informed TNC’s conservation science and planning at site-specific to regional scales throughout the Pacific Northwest, Southern Rockies and adjacent Southwest. Current project priorities include systematic conservation planning for wetland restoration across New Mexico and quantitative wildfire risk assessment in the San Juan Chama headwaters of Colorado.
Aaron earned his MSc in earth sciences (geography) in 2004 with a thesis combining Bayesian and graph-theoretic methods to model habitat connectivity, a focus that has persisted through his regular collaboration in TNC’s leading work in landscape connectivity.
Publications
Keeley, A. T. H., P. Beier, R. T. Belote, M. Clark, A. P. Clevenger, T. G. Creech, L. Ehlers et al. Comment on Functional landscape connectivity for a select few: Linkages do not consistently predict wildlife movement or occupancy. Autumn R. Iverson, David Waetjen, Fraser Shilling. Landscape and Urban Planning 253 (2025): 105217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105217
Poor, Erin E., Kimberly R. Hall, Jesse Anderson, Melissa Clark, Aaron Jones, Christina M. Kennedy, Carrie A. Schloss, David M. Theobald et al. Beyond boundaries: Global natural lands connectivity. Preprint posted May 14, 2025. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6457802/v1
Schloss, Carrie A., D. Richard Cameron, Brad H. McRae, David M. Theobald, and Aaron Jones. “No‐regrets” pathways for navigating climate change: Planning for connectivity with land use, topography, and climate. Ecological Applications 32, no. 1 (2022): e02468. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2468
Hall, Kimberly R., Ranjan Anantharaman, Vincent A. Landau, Melissa Clark, Brett G. Dickson, Aaron Jones, Jim Platt, Alan Edelman, and Viral B. Shah. 2021. Circuitscape in Julia: Empowering Dynamic Approaches to Connectivity Assessment. Land 10, no. 3: 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030301
Graves, R., R. Haugo, A. Holz, M. Nielsen-Pincus, A. Jones, B. Kellogg, C. Macdonald, K. Popper, M. Schindel. 2020. Potential greenhouse gas reductions from Natural Climate Solutions in Oregon. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230424