Whither the Rangeland?: Protection and Conversion in California's Rangeland Ecosystems
Figure 5
Conversion patterns by major type.
The converted rangelands spanned a large geographic area. In some areas large protected area complexes were created where conversion was less widespread, possibly enabled by lower land prices (A). Agricultural conversions were more common adjacent to existing cropland (B). Conversions to developed land uses are dominated by new housing at lower densities at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada foothills (Madera, Fresno, Butte counties) and at higher densities in the San Francisco Bay Area and near Sacramento. The areas in the Central Coast around Atascadero and Arroyo Grande experienced a large amount of conversion from a variety of sources (C).