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� 'if1 WV' MMA W <br />his report provides a way to evaluate land <br />as habitat for native wildlife in Orange <br />County. The objective is to introduce a <br />general method for comparing tracts of land by <br />how much they contribute to habitat for native <br />wildlife. <br />The habitat for most of the native species of <br />wildlife in Orange County is mature forest. How <br />much native wildlife a forest can support <br />depends in part on its own features (area, matu- <br />rity of forest, level of human disturbance, edgi- <br />ness, and presence of water or inventoried <br />natural areas) and in part on its context in a <br />landscape. A context with other forest nearby <br />allows the exchange of individuals, reduces the, <br />chances of random local extinctions, and avoids <br />the low genetic variability that develops in isolat- <br />ed populations. These features are included in <br />RECOMMENDATIONS <br />separate Intrinsic and Contextual Ratings for <br />the wildlife value of each tract of forest in <br />Orange County (Maps 1 and 2). These ratings <br />are also combined into a Total Rating (Map 3). <br />These ratings can help planners and <br />resource conservationists to (1) identify the <br />most crucial forests for protection, (2) monitor <br />Orange County's overall value for wildlife, (3) <br />evaluate the impacts of development on nearby <br />natural areas, (4) assess proposals for mitigation <br />of adverse influences on wildlife habitats. <br />Saving isolated areas is not enough to assure <br />that Orange County can keep most of its native <br />wildlife in the coming decades. We also need to <br />think about preserving a Landscape with <br />Wildlife. In particular, we need to preserve <br />forests, including large forests, and their <br />connections. <br />USE BOTH INTRINSIC AND CONTEXTUAL RATINGS of land for wildlife, along <br />with direct surveys, to: <br />PRESERVE AND RESTORE LARGE TRACTS of forest and other wildlife habitats. <br />PRESERVE AND RESTORE CONNECTIONS between forests or other wildlife habitats <br />(including eliminating barriers to movements of wildlife such as those created by highways). <br />IDENTIFY AND PRESERVE AREAS FOR WILDLIFE within any proposed development. <br />MINIMIZE IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT on nearby protected natural areas. <br />REQUIRE MITIGATION for major losses of forests for wildlife. <br />MONITOR PROGRESS in maintaining a Landscape for Wildlife by using up -to -date aerial <br />photographs to determine Orange Countys overall Total Rating for wildlife every decade. <br />PROMOTE A REGIONAL PLAN for a Landscape with Wildlife. <br />