The Challenge

The Los Angeles region lies within one of only 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world with more than 4,000 unique native plant and animal species recorded by community science efforts to date. However, development, direct exploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive species threaten our native biodiversity. To better manage our native biodiversity and ensure future generations benefit from the ecosystem services such as food production, environmental health and wellbeing, we need to better understand the breadth of the diversity that exists in our region. Realizing that species conservation efforts must incorporate both evolutionary and genetic data, the UCLA research team will apply genomic tools to assess the genetic diversity of species across the Los Angeles Basin and provide recommendations for effective management strategies to preserve and enhance these critical natural resources.

The Solution

This project aims to enhance the understanding of urban-wildland ecosystems and promote biodiversity. In a combined effort—with the National Park Service, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the U.S. Geological Survey—the UCLA research team is mapping the genomic variation and population connectivity of 20 species in the Los Angeles Basin. Species of interest are small and large mammals, birds, spiders, slugs, butterflies, phorid flies, reptiles and plants. Close to 8,000 samples of species have been obtained through fieldwork and collaborations with external stakeholders to be used for genomic and landscape analyses. The final product will be a collection of maps featuring where the most genetically diverse populations of species exist and how species are isolated by modified and natural landscapes. Results of this project will provide a fundamentally new framework for local agencies, policymakers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to better understand what kind of conservation efforts are required to protect the species, and which of these species are especially vulnerable in the face of climate change. 

Next Steps

The research team anticipates their results will be helpful in informing strategies to help species survive in habitats located in urban areas. They are particularly excited to be sharing their work with entities like the Los Angeles Department of Sanitation Biodiversity Expert Council to better shape the City of L.A.’s Biodiversity Strategy.

The research team will partner with the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge team to develop strategies to communicate the results of this work, in order to maximize the impact on policy.

Additional Outcomes to Date

The project is also funded by the UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science.

Publications and Reports

Shaffer, H.B. (2018). Urban Biodiversity Arks. Nature Sustainability, 1, 725-727. doi:10.1038/s41893-018-0193-y