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Integrating environmental gap analysis with spatial conservation prioritization: a case study from Victoria,
Seyedeh Mahdieh Sharafi1, Atte Moilanen, Matt White
1Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. s.sharafi@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au
Journal of Environmental Management
|September 1, 2012
Summary
Environmental gap analysis identifies conservation priorities by using environmental variables as biodiversity surrogates. This method, implemented with Zonation software, efficiently highlights areas for conservation to improve biodiversity representation.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Gap analysis is crucial for evaluating biodiversity representation in reserve networks.
- Identifying gaps in conservation coverage is essential for effective biodiversity protection.
- Environmental variables are increasingly used as surrogates for biodiversity attributes in gap analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate an efficient method for filling gaps in conservation systems.
- To implement environmental gap analysis using high-resolution data and conservation prioritization software.
- To assess the utility of environmental gap analysis compared to methods using Species Distribution Models (SDMs).
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution environmental variable and ecosystem condition data.
- Employed the Zonation conservation prioritization software for gap analysis.
- Converted combinations of environmental variables into biodiversity features and compared with SDMs.
Main Results:
- Successfully implemented environmental gap analysis using Zonation software.
- Demonstrated the conversion of environmental variables into effective biodiversity features.
- Validated the approach by comparing results with analyses based on SDMs.
Conclusions:
- Environmental gap analysis provides an efficient approach to identify conservation priorities.
- This method effectively identifies areas to improve biodiversity representation in reserve networks.
- The Zonation software is a valuable tool for implementing environment-based gap analysis for conservation planning.
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