COS 277-6 - Development and assessment of ecological restoration of climate-resilient native habitats in underserved urban areas.

Abstract: The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas (LRGV), an underserved region, is a subtropical ecosystem that supports an exceptional biodiversity, including many endemic flora and fauna species. About 95% of the LRGV natural habitat was cleared for development in the 20th century, and the remaining native habitats are highly fragmented. The impacts of this fragmentation on wildlife are now exacerbated by climate change. Urban and migratory wildlife species struggle to survive and thrive under these precarious conditions and only the most resilient ones find strategies to adapt. Recently, about 70 bird species in south Texas switched their spatial distribution that goes beyond their historic natural breeding range, and their behavior aligns with the extreme weather events. The goal of this study is to develop and assess an ecological restoration approach to create climate-resilient native habitats in urban vacant lots, roadsides, and any other areas suitable for resilient, native habitats to support the adaptation of wildlife species to climate change and to increase habitat connectivity. The approach to addressing the goal was to firstly, use habitat suitability models to guide site selection, and secondly, to implement a climate adaptation strategy to guide the restoration of each selected site. The climate-adaptation strategy consisted in creating and using–for restoration–a mix of climate-resilient native plant species that potentially ameliorate climate-change impacts and sustain diverse communities of birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Strategic increases in the timing of wildflower blooms are expected to support, for instance, native pollinators. The restored habitats are also expected to increase habitat connectivity by acting as ecological corridors and stepping stones for wildlife. The cities of Pharr and McAllen, Texas, fully committed and restored together 41 acres of urban land into native habitats. We selected and used over 90 plant species considered to be climate-resilient. The mix included flowering plants, host plants, trees, and shrubs. We used an average of 5 pounds of native seed mix-mostly flowering plants and grasses—to restore the sites. Over 7,000 seedlings of climate-resilient native plants were planted. During the presentation, we will discuss the effectiveness of solely relying on habitat suitability models to select sites to be restored. We will also discuss the process of identifying climate-resilient plant species and the need for further studies to advance that field. Future work will focus on monitoring the restored sites to determine ecological connectivity effectiveness and plant survival rates.