Developmental Training for Conservation Design

Are you involved with Conservation Design?   (spatially explicit integration of biological objectives) .

Develop Species Habitat Decision Support Tools

A decision support tool combines geospatial data, biological information, and the results of ecological models into a format that helps managers decide which conservation actions to apply to a given landscape. Decision support tools should be linked to specific treatments that target a population response. The decision support tool arranges available information relevant to the decision into a single format, allowing the manager to view the compilation of the data, information, and models in a simple form.

Designate Priority Areas

Most of the time, decisions about where to protect or restore a particular habitat type or where to deliver a particular program are based on the potential of each landscape to provide desired benefits. Desired benefits might be as narrowly defined as the potential to support multiple species of ducks (as in the FWS’s Waterfowl Production Area program), to as broadly defined as wildlife, clean water, and soil retention (as in USDA’s Wetland Reserve Program).

Formulate Habitat Objectives

Models and priority areas can help estimate the amount of habitat of each type required to attain population objectives. This information enables us to establish habitat objectives that directly relate to achieving our population objectives. Relative conservation efficiency (e.g., biological benefits/acre) varies across landscapes. Thus, the actual amount of habitat required to attain our population objectives depends on where we deliver our programs.