Biodiversity: the chasm between what we know and we need to know

Area of Science:

• Ecology and Conservation Biology
• Environmental Planning and Management

Background:

• Current land-use planning decisions for infrastructure projects often overlook critical biodiversity information.
• Decisions are made decades before construction, based primarily on engineering and social factors, leading to unfavorable environmental and economic outcomes.
• There's a gap in integrating biodiversity data into the early stages of planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify essential biodiversity information needed for effective land-use planning.
• To explore the utility of species-distribution modeling and remote sensing surrogates for large-scale biodiversity assessments.
• To highlight the need for mechanisms to incorporate biodiversity data into initial planning phases.

Main Methods:

• Review of available biodiversity data for decision-makers.
• Assessment of information requirements at local scales.
• Evaluation of species-distribution modeling and remote sensing as potential data sources.
• Discussion of standardized sampling methods like the RAPELD method.

Main Results:

• Standardized biodiversity sampling and data availability during initial planning are essential for effective decision-making.
• Current practices lack mechanisms to integrate biodiversity data early, despite methods like RAPELD generating such data.
• Species-distribution modeling and remote sensing show potential but require careful application.
• Lack of early biodiversity integration has negative economic and environmental consequences.

Conclusions:

• Biodiversity information must be standardized and accessible during the earliest phases of land-use and infrastructure planning.
• Developing mechanisms to incorporate ecological data into initial decision-making is critical for sustainable development.
• Addressing these needs will mitigate unfavorable consequences for both the economy and the environment.