Quantifying the relative contribution of an ecological reserve to conservation objectives
Evaluating the role public lands play in meeting conservation goals is an essential step in good governance. We present a tool for comparing the regional contribution of each of a suite of wildlife management units to conservation goals. We use weighted summation (simple additive weighting) to compute a Unit Contribution Index (UCI) based on species richness, population abundance, and a conservation score based on IUCN Red List classified threat levels. We evaluate UCI for a subset of the 729 participating wetlands of the Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring (IWMM) Program across U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regions 3 (Midwest USA), 4 (Southeast USA), and 5 (Northeast USA). We found that the median across-Region UCI for Region 5 was greater than Regions 3 and 4, while Region 4 had the greatest within-Region UCI median. This index is a powerful tool for wildlife managers to evaluate the performance of units within the conservation estate.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2017 |
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Title | Quantifying the relative contribution of an ecological reserve to conservation objectives |
DOI | 10.1016/j.gecco.2017.01.002 |
Authors | Kevin Aagaard, James E. Lyons, Wayne E. Thogmartin |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Global Ecology and Conservation |
Index ID | 70186020 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center |