Developing a decision-support process for landscape conservation design

Thomas W. Bonnot; D. Todd Jones-Farrand; Frank R. Thompson; Joshua J. Millspaugh; Jane A. Fitzgerald; Nate Muenks; Phillip Hanberry; Esther Stroh; Larry Heggemann; Allison Fowler; Mark Howery; Shea Hammond; Kristine Evans

doi:10.2737/NRS-GTR-190

Treesearch

Developing a decision-support process for landscape conservation design

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Thomas W. Bonnot, D. Todd Jones-Farrand, Frank R. Thompson, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Jane A. Fitzgerald, Nate Muenks, Phillip Hanberry, Esther Stroh, Larry Heggemann, Allison Fowler, Mark Howery, Shea Hammond, Kristine Evans

Year:

2019

Type:

General Technical Report

Station:

Northern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-190

Source:

Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-190. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 66 p.

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Download (PDF 6.22 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/58309.pdf

Abstract

Planning for sustainable landscapes is hampered by uncertainty in how species will respond to conservation actions amidst impacts from landscape and climate change. Planning decisions, including tradeoffs among competing species objectives, are complex. We developed a decision-support framework that integrates dynamic-landscape metapopulation models (DLMPs) and structured decision making (SDM) to help guide landscape conservation design. With this framework, we demonstrated that planning for viable populations across broad scales can be achieved under global change. Furthermore, the integration of DLMPs with SDM enabled decisions to be more objective and transparent, and thus, more defensible.

Keywords

structured decision making, climate change, urbanization, population model, dynamic, risk, habitat, restoration

Citation

Bonnot, Thomas W.; Jones-Farrand, D. Todd; Thompson, Frank R., III; Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Fitzgerald, Jane A.; Muenks, Nate; Hanberry, Phillip; Stroh, Esther; Heggemann, Larry; Fowler, Allison; Howery, Mark; Hammond, Shea; Evans, Kristine. 2019. Developing a decision-support process for landscape conservation design. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-190. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 66 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-190.