Article ID: | iaor20041035 |
Country: | Netherlands |
Volume: | 37 |
Issue: | 4 |
Start Page Number: | 239 |
End Page Number: | 268 |
Publication Date: | Dec 2003 |
Journal: | Socio-Economic Planning Sciences |
Authors: | ReVelle Charles S., Williams Justin C., Bain Daniel J. |
Keywords: | recreation & tourism, geography & environment, decision: applications |
A decision model is developed for identifying alternative configurations of new protected habitat areas to augment and enhance major global flyways of migratory birds. New habitat areas are selected to fill in the spatial gaps between existing protected stopovers such as wildlife refuges. The methodology is applied to the US portion of the Atlantic flyway in order to develop alternative networks of habitat stepping stones extending from Maine to Florida. The model is formulated as a zero–one program and solutions are derived using a greedy adding heuristic procedure. Two ecological–economic objectives drive the model: maximizing the geographic coverage of the protected stopovers, and maximizing average stopover quality, as represented by an index based on wetland prevalence and land cost. Thirty-five alternative solutions were generated, indicating the tradeoffs between the objectives. These results are expected to be useful to natural resource agencies and conservation organizations in the development of habitat conservation, preservation and restoration policies and programs.