20250926
12294500
1.0
FALSE
RCOAs_NM_Statewide_V3
002
120413.254200
678504.000000
3490618.839100
4098033.384000
1
Projected
GCS_North_American_1983
Linear Unit: Meter (1.000000)
NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_13N
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RCOAs_NM_Statewide_V3
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This layer identifies priority Riparian Conservation Opportunity Areas (RCOAs) across New Mexico—key riparian and wetland habitats prioritized for conservation and restoration. RCOAs serve as place-based targets to enhance habitat connectivity and resilience, support wildlife, and guide strategic conservation efforts. Sites are ranked based on habitat value and restoration opportunity, providing a framework to track and measure conservation success aligned with the New Mexico State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).
<DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P><SPAN>The Riparian Conservation Opportunity Areas (RCOAs) Version 3.0 portfolio is a spatial toolkit developed to support conservation and restoration of riparian and wetland habitats across New Mexico. Originally created for the Upper Rio Grande as part of the “Ribbons of Life” initiative in collaboration with National Wildlife Federation. The project was later expanded statewide with support from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for integration into the 2025 New Mexico State Wildlife Action Plan. RCOAs are discrete sites mapped using consistent GIS rules, based on riparian vegetation, landscape context, and ownership. Each RCOA contains Riparian Strongholds—large, intact areas of high-quality habitat—and may also include adjacent native areas, potential restoration zones, and smaller riparian patches to enhance habitat connectivity. RCOAs are classified by wetland type (headwater, confined, unconfined) and rated A–D based on size, composition, and vegetation diversity. The resulting portfolio of 2,399 RCOAs provides place-based targets for conservation planning and offers a platform to track restoration success. </SPAN></P><P><SPAN /></P><P><SPAN /></P><P><SPAN /></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
Riparian Conservation Opportunity Areas were developed by Esteban Muldavin, Corrie Gonzalez, and Elizabeth Milford of Natural Heritage New Mexico (NHNM), and John Leonard (formerly NHNM).
Significant contributions were made by Bruce Stein, Brian Kurzel, Alex Puglisi, Jeremy Romero, and Alicia Marrs (National Wildlife Federation), and Virginia Seamster (New Mexico Department of Game and Fish).
We thank the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the National Wildlife Federation for their financial support.
RCOAs
Riparian Conservation Opportunity Areas
File Geodatabase Feature Class
dataset
EPSG
6.13(3.0.1)
2339
Simple
FALSE
2339
TRUE
TRUE
RCOAs_NM_Statewide_V3
Feature Class
2339
OBJECTID
OBJECTID
OID
4
0
0
Internal feature number.
Esri
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Shape
Shape
Geometry
0
0
0
Feature geometry.
Esri
Coordinates defining the features.
UniqueID
UniqueID
String
20
0
0
Basin
Basin
String
255
0
0
Subclass
Subclass
String
255
0
0
RCOA_NAME
RCOA_NAME
String
255
0
0
HUC12_Name
HUC12_Name
String
255
0
0
MoreThan_1HUC12
MoreThan_1HUC12
String
255
0
0
RCOA_Rating
RCOA_Rating
String
255
0
0
RCOA_Average_Score
RCOA_Average_Score
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_Size_Score
RCOA_Size_Score
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_ORA_Pct_Score
RCOA_ORA_Pct_Score
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_PRA_Pct_Score
RCOA_PRA_Pct_Score
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_VegTypeDiversity_Score
RCOA_VegTypeDiversity_Score
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_Area_ac
RCOA_Area_ac
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_RS_Area_ac
RCOA_RS_Area_ac
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_RS_pct
RCOA_RS_pct
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_ORA_Area_ac
RCOA_ORA_Area_ac
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_ORA_pct
RCOA_ORA_pct
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_PRA_Area_ac
RCOA_PRA_Area_ac
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_PRA_pct
RCOA_PRA_pct
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_SRA_Area_ac
RCOA_SRA_Area_ac
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_SRA_pct
RCOA_SRA_pct
Double
8
0
0
RCOA_VegTypeDiversityIndex
RCOA_VegTypeDiversityIndex
Double
8
0
0
PNRV_Forest_pct
PNRV_Forest_pct
Double
8
0
0
PNRV_Shrub_pct
PNRV_Shrub_pct
Double
8
0
0
PNRV_Herb_pct
PNRV_Herb_pct
Double
8
0
0
GreatPlainsLowlandNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
GreatPlainsLowlandNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandNativeEvergreenDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
LowlandNativeEvergreenDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
MontaneNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
MontaneNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
MontaneNativeEvergreenDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
MontaneNativeEvergreenDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
MontaneNativeEvergreenRiparianForest_pct
MontaneNativeEvergreenRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
SouthwestDesertNativeDryDeciduousRiparianWoodland_pct
SouthwestDesertNativeDryDeciduousRiparianWoodland_pct
Double
8
0
0
SouthwestWarmDesertNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
SouthwestWarmDesertNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
WesternLowlandNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
WesternLowlandNativeDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandWetRiparianShrubland_pct
LowlandWetRiparianShrubland_pct
Double
8
0
0
SubalpineMontaneRiparianShrubland_pct
SubalpineMontaneRiparianShrubland_pct
Double
8
0
0
GreatPlainsLowlandMarsh_pct
GreatPlainsLowlandMarsh_pct
Double
8
0
0
GreatPlainsLowlandWetMeadow_pct
GreatPlainsLowlandWetMeadow_pct
Double
8
0
0
SubalpineandMontaneWetland_pct
SubalpineandMontaneWetland_pct
Double
8
0
0
WesternLowlandMarsh_pct
WesternLowlandMarsh_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandNativeEvergreenDryRiparianForest_pct
LowlandNativeEvergreenDryRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
AridWestLowlandWetMeadow_pct
AridWestLowlandWetMeadow_pct
Double
8
0
0
GreatPlainsLowlandSaltMeadowandDryGrassland_pct
GreatPlainsLowlandSaltMeadowandDryGrassland_pct
Double
8
0
0
DesertAlkalineSalineWetShrubland_pct
DesertAlkalineSalineWetShrubland_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandDryRiparianShrubland_pct
LowlandDryRiparianShrubland_pct
Double
8
0
0
MontaneDryRiparianShrubland_pct
MontaneDryRiparianShrubland_pct
Double
8
0
0
MontaneDryRiparianMeadowandGrassland_pct
MontaneDryRiparianMeadowandGrassland_pct
Double
8
0
0
RuderalForbMeadow_pct
RuderalForbMeadow_pct
Double
8
0
0
WesternLowlandSaltMeadowandDryGrassland_pct
WesternLowlandSaltMeadowandDryGrassland_pct
Double
8
0
0
SubalpineandMontaneWetMeadow_pct
SubalpineandMontaneWetMeadow_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandMixedWillowRussianOliveRiparianScrub_pct
LowlandMixedWillowRussianOliveRiparianScrub_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandMixedWillowRussianOliveTamariskRiparianWoodlandandScrub_p
LowlandMixedWillowRussianOliveTamariskRiparianWoodlandandScrub_p
Double
8
0
0
LowlandMixedWillowTamariskRiparianScrub_pct
LowlandMixedWillowTamariskRiparianScrub_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandNativeIntroducedRussianOliveDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
LowlandNativeIntroducedRussianOliveDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
LowlandNativeIntroducedRussianOliveTamariskDeciduousRiparianFore
LowlandNativeIntroducedRussianOliveTamariskDeciduousRiparianFore
Double
8
0
0
LowlandNativeIntroducedTamariskDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
LowlandNativeIntroducedTamariskDeciduousRiparianForest_pct
Double
8
0
0
MixedIntroducedForestandScrub_pct
MixedIntroducedForestandScrub_pct
Double
8
0
0
RussianOliveIntroducedRiparianWoodlandandScrub_pct
RussianOliveIntroducedRiparianWoodlandandScrub_pct
Double
8
0
0
RussianOliveTamariskIntroducedRiparianWoodlandandScrub_pct
RussianOliveTamariskIntroducedRiparianWoodlandandScrub_pct
Double
8
0
0
TamariskIntroducedRiparianWoodlandandScrub_pct
TamariskIntroducedRiparianWoodlandandScrub_pct
Double
8
0
0
PublicLand_pct
PublicLand_pct
Double
8
0
0
Private_pct
Private_pct
Double
8
0
0
TribalLand_pct
TribalLand_pct
Double
8
0
0
BureauofLandManagement_pct
BureauofLandManagement_pct
Double
8
0
0
CityLand_pct
CityLand_pct
Double
8
0
0
CountyLand_pct
CountyLand_pct
Double
8
0
0
DepartmentofDefense_pct
DepartmentofDefense_pct
Double
8
0
0
NationalParkService_pct
NationalParkService_pct
Double
8
0
0
NMDepartmentofGameFish_pct
NMDepartmentofGameFish_pct
Double
8
0
0
NMStateForestryDivision_pct
NMStateForestryDivision_pct
Double
8
0
0
NMStateParks_pct
NMStateParks_pct
Double
8
0
0
StateLandOffice_pct
StateLandOffice_pct
Double
8
0
0
StateofNewMexico_pct
StateofNewMexico_pct
Double
8
0
0
USBureauofReclamation_pct
USBureauofReclamation_pct
Double
8
0
0
USFishandWildlifeService_pct
USFishandWildlifeService_pct
Double
8
0
0
USForestService_pct
USForestService_pct
Double
8
0
0
Old_RCOA_RecID
Old_RCOA_RecID
String
255
0
0
OLD_RCOA_Name
OLD_RCOA_Name
String
255
0
0
OBJECTID_1
ObjectID
Integer
4
0
0
Shape_Length
Shape_Length
Double
8
0
0
Length of feature in internal units.
Esri
Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.
Shape_Area
Shape_Area
Double
8
0
0
Area of feature in internal units squared.
Esri
Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.
20250703