IEI Maps
Overview of CAPS IEI Data
The Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) is an ecosystem-based (coarse-filter) approach for assessing the ecological integrity of lands and waters and subsequently identifying and prioritizing land for habitat and biodiversity conservation. We define ecological integrity as the ability of an area to support biodiversity and the ecosystem processes necessary to sustain biodiversity over the long term. CAPS is a computer software program and an approach to prioritizing land for conservation based on the assessment of ecological integrity for various ecological communities (e.g., forest, shrub swamp, headwater stream) within an area. This process results in an Index of Ecological Integrity (IEI) for each point in the landscape based on models constructed separately for each ecological community.
In November 2011 the Landscape Ecology Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst completed its first comprehensive, statewide assessment of ecological integrity using CAPS. The analyses were updated in 2015 and 2020. IEI maps depicting the top 50% of lands with the highest ecological integrity have been completed for all cities and towns in Massachusetts, using the most recent analysis.
The report “Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) Statewide Massachusetts Assessment: November 2020” provides information about CAPS and the 2020 CAPS analysis. [CAPS 2020 Report].
Maps depicting areas of potential high ecological integrity are available for all cities and towns in Massachusetts, plus a single map (geoTIFF) encompassing the entire state. The town maps are in the form of high-resolution PDFs depicting areas in the top 50% of values using integrated IEI scores overlaid onto USGS topographic maps to help provide geographical references for important areas. Ecological communities are differentiated by color for the following categories: forest (green), shrubland (orange), coastal uplands (yellow to brown), coastal wetlands (cyan) and freshwater wetlands and aquatic (blue). For all ecological community types darker colors indicating higher-valued cells.
These maps are for information only and are not referenced by any regulatory program. However, MassDEP has recently adopted a new approach to wildlife habitat management via assessment and mapping of important wildlife habitat for use in wetland protection review and permitting. This approach utilizes the Conservation Prioritization and Assessment System (CAPS) to create a set of maps that depict "Habitat of Potential Regional or Statewide Importance." Follow this link to access maps of "Important Habitat" for purposes of implementing the wildlife habitat provisions of the MA Wetlands Protection Act. [Mass 2020 DEP Data].
Mass IEI Maps
Maps depicting areas of potential high ecological integrity are available for all cities and towns in Massachusetts, plus a single map (GeoTIFF) encompassing the entire state. The town maps are in the form of high-resolution PDFs depicting areas in the top 50% of values using integrated IEI scores overlaid onto USGS topographic maps to help provide geographical references for important areas. Ecological communities are differentiated by color for the following categories: forest (green), shrubland (orange), coastal uplands (yellow to brown), coastal wetlands (cyan) and freshwater wetlands and aquatic (blue). For all ecological community types darker colors indicating higher-valued cells.
The maps now posted on this web site are the most current versions available and were last updated in July 2021.
GIS Data
CAPS GIS data including IEI (at four scales), metrics (raw and scaled) and ecological settings variables are available as ArcGIS grids and geoTIFFs. [CAPS 2020 Data].
Acknowledgements
These maps were funded by grants from The Nature Conservancy and the Federal Highway Administration via a grant administered by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under section 104 (b) (3) of the U.S. Clean Water Act. CAPS also received support from the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station and UMass Extension. National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is a federal partner, providing federal assistance and program leadership for numerous research, education, and extension activities. Data sources include the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS).
Prepared in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Office of Transportation Planning and the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The contents of this web site reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official view or policies of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration.
Contact Information
For assistance with interpretation of CAPS results or to report technical difficulties regarding access to the information on this page, please contact Scott Jackson (sjackson@umext.umass.edu)
