Where and how to manage: optimal selection of conservation actions for multiple species

Multiple alternative options are frequently available for the protection, maintenance or restoration of conservation areas. The choice of a particular management action can have large effects on the species occurring in the area, because different actions have different effects on different species. Together with the fact that conservation funds are limited and particular management actions are costly, it would be desirable to be able to identify where, and what kind of management should be applied to maximize conservation benefits. Currently available site-selection algorithms can identify the optimal set of sites for a reserve network. However, these algorithms have not been designed to answer what kind of action would be most beneficial at these sites when multiple alternative actions are available. We describe an algorithm capable of solving multi-species planning problems with multiple management options per site. The algorithm is based on benefit functions, which translate the effect of a management action on species representation levels into a value, in order to identify the most beneficial option. We test the performance of this algorithm with simulated data for different types of benefit functions and show that the algorithm¿s solutions are optimal, or very near globally optimal, partially depending on the type of benefit function used. The good performance of the proposed algorithm suggests that it could be profitably used for large multi-action multi-species conservation planning problems

EcoTRADE : Investigating the suitability of tradable permits for biodiversity conservation in changing landscapes

Habitat restoration has been employed in the context of ecological compensation, to offset negative impacts on ecosystems as a result of development projects. Compensation measures are aimed at maintaining the size and quality of ecological networks. These measures are decided on a case-by-case basis, as a response to development. Traditionally, there is a preference to restore the same type of habitat near the location of impact. This practice ignores three main issues however: 1) the current spatial configuration of ecological networks may not be sufficient to maintain species at the long term, given ecosystem dynamics and climate change, 2) conservation budgets are perhaps more effectively spent on restoration of other, scarcer habitat types, and 3) restoration costs and potential differ per location, for which there is scope to achieve conservation targets more cost-efficiently. Furthermore, the current reactive nature of compensation practice does not stimulate a strategic approach to conservation that is flexible in response to ongoing changes

Rekenregels natuurcompensatie : een korte literatuurstudie en brainstorm naar methodieken voor ecologische en financiële rekenregels bij natuurcompensatie EHS

Op 4 augustus 2011 kwam bij Alterra een Helpdeskvraag binnen over rekenregels bij natuurcompensatie. De vraag was om te achterhalen welke methoden er zijn om rekenregels bij natuurcompensatie af te leiden en de voor- en nadelen van bestaande methoden in beeld te brengen. Het gaat daarbij om zowel ecologische rekenregels als financiële rekenregels. De vervolgvraag luidt wat de kosten zijn om een of meer methodieken uit te werken tot hanteerbare rekenregels bij compensatie van de EHS. De aanleiding voor de vraag komt voort uit de Nederlandse praktijk van compensatie. Zowel in theorie (hanteerbare regelgeving) als praktijk (uitvoering en uiteindelijk resultaat) blijkt compensatie problematisch. In de Nederlandse praktijk blijkt compensatie daarom vaak niet adequaat of zelfs helemaal niet uitgevoerd te worde

Indice

EnIn this work we give a unified presentation of topics that are usually treated in Differential Analysis and Geometry.The exposition is developed in the non usual faramework of affine spaces,which affords an intrinsic view of the matter.Theese ideas could bring us to an interesting way of presenting Analytical Mechanics

Kosteneffectiviteit van natuurgebieden op het land : eerste verkenning met ruimtelijke optimalisatie biodiversiteit

Dit werkdocument beschrijft de uitbreiding van het kosteneffectiviteitsinstrumentarium waarmee op basis van de kosten en ruimtelijke interactie tussen gebieden een selectie van gebieden kan worden gemaakt. Hiermee kan de potentiële bijdrage van natuurgebieden, zoals de Ecologische Hoofdstructuur aan het duurzaam behoud van doelsoorten worden bepaald. Belangrijk bij deze uitbreiding is het gebruik van SERES (Selection of Reserve Sites), dat een ruimtelijke, economische optimalisatie uitvoert met uitkomsten van LARCH, een ruimtelijk verspreidingsmodel van soorten, en met uitkomsten van een eerder opgezette kostendatabase. De wetenschappelijke achtergronden en de opzet van SERES komen in dit werkdocument aan bod. Enkele voorbeeldberekeningen bieden zicht op de meerwaarde van de uitbreiding voor analyses over het natuurbeleid

Strategies of Reserve Selection

Existing protected areas contain only a biased sample of the Earth's biodiversity. This is because conservation has to compete with other land-uses. Limitations in space and budget highlight the importance of effective and efficient conservation strategies. In this context, questions like what elements of biodiversity should we focus on, and where to protect them, are difficult to answer. The field of spatial conservation planning has evolved to address these questions, with attention to cost-efficiency, representativeness, adequacy, flexibility, threat and vulnerability. It encourages politicians and conservation planners to set quantitative conservation goals, and offers tools to prioritize among large sets of species, ecosystem types and areas. The implementation of this approach is becoming essential in order to halt the loss of biodiversity in a world of increasing human population and increasing demand for natural resource

Strategies of Reserve Selection

Existing protected areas contain only a biased sample of the Earth's biodiversity. This is because conservation has to compete with other land-uses. Limitations in space and budget highlight the importance of effective and efficient conservation strategies. In this context, questions like what elements of biodiversity should we focus on, and where to protect them, are difficult to answer. The field of spatial conservation planning has evolved to address these questions, with attention to cost-efficiency, representativeness, adequacy, flexibility, threat and vulnerability. It encourages politicians and conservation planners to set quantitative conservation goals, and offers tools to prioritize among large sets of species, ecosystem types and areas. The implementation of this approach is becoming essential in order to halt the loss of biodiversity in a world of increasing human population and increasing demand for natural resource