• Synthesizes a scattered literature to produce the first book on spatial conservation prioritization
• Incorporates contributions from leading conservation biologists who are pioneering the development of methods and software in the field
• Provides the advanced student, scientist, or conservation manager with information on the latest methodology and capabilities of software
• Demonstrates how quantitative conservation prioritization methods can be adopted for "real-world" planning

Habitat loss and deterioration, climate change, and economic pressures for resource extraction have all led to a global loss of biodiversity. The limited resources available for conservation need to be used both effectively and efficiently in order to minimise further losses. Spatial conservation prioritization addresses the question of how we should allocate conservation effort and funds in space and time. While the benefits of quantitative conservation prioritization methods have been widely promoted, adoption of these methods in "real-world" planning and implementation is still in its infancy, partly due to the difficulty of identifying which methods and tools (if any) are suited to specific planning problems.

Spatial Conservation Prioritization brings together a team of leading scientists to introduce the conceptual and methodological aspects of how to undertake spatial conservation planning in a quantitative manner. It provides the reader with information on when, why, and how to use which statistical and computational methods for conservation prioritization. Important topics underlying spatial prioritization including metapopulation modelling, population viability analysis modelling, species distribution modelling, and uncertainty analysis are discussed, as well as operational definitions and methods. The book includes chapters on the most widely used and latest software, and concludes with an insight into the future of the field.

Readership: The practical emphasis and comprehensive coverage means that this book will be essential reading for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and established researchers in the fields of spatial ecology and conservation biology. It will also be a valuable reference for conservation practitioners, land managers, and government/NGO consultants and advisers.

Contents

Preface

1. Quantitative Approaches to Spatial Conservation Prioritization: Matching the Solution to the Need , Simon Ferrier & Brendan A. Wintle

2. Fundamental Concepts of Spatial Conservation Prioritization , Kerrie A. Wilson, Mar Cabeza & Carissa J. Klein

3. A Mathematical Classification of Conservation Prioritization Problems , Atte Moilanen, Hugh P. Possingham & Stephen Polasky

4. Integer Programming Methods for Reserve Selection and Design , Robert G. Haight & Stephanie A. Snyder

5. Heuristic and Approximate Optimization Methods for Spatial Conservation Prioritization , Atte Moilanen & Ian Ball

6. Conservation Prioritization Using Species Distribution Modelling , Jane Elith & John Leathwick

7. Community-level Approaches to Spatial Conservation Prioritization , Simon Ferrier, Daniel P. Faith, Anni Arponen, & Michael Drielsma

8. Conservation Prioritization Using Metapopulation Models , Emily Nicholson & Otso Ovaskainen

9. Spatial Population Viability Analysis , Michael A. McCarthy

10. Accounting for Habitat Dynamics in Conservation Planning , Hugh P. Possingham, Atte Moilanen & Kerrie A. Wilson

11. Conservation Prioritization and Uncertainty in Planning Inputs , Helen M. Regan, Michelle Ensbey & Mark A. Burgman

12. Prioritizing Ecosystems, Species, and Sites for Restoration , Reed Noss, Scott Nielsen & Ken Vance-Borland

13. Climate Change and Spatial Conservation Planning , Miguel B. Araújo

14. Marxan and Relatives: Software for Spatial Conservation Prioritization , Ian R. Ball, Hugh P. Possingham & Matthew E. Watts

15. The Zonation Framework and Software for Conservation Prioritization , Atte Moilanen, Heini Kujala & John R. Leathwick

16. The C-Plan Conservation Planning System: Origins, Applications and Possible Futures , Robert L. Pressey, Matthew E. Watts, Thomas W. Barrett & Malcolm J. Ridges

17. The ConsNet Software Platform for Systematic Conservation Planning , Sahotra Sarkar, Trevon Fuller, Anshu Aggarwal, Alexander Moffett & Christopher D. Kelley

18. From Theory to Practice: Designing and Situating Spatial Prioritization Approaches to Better Implement Conservation Action , Andrew T. Knight, Richard M. Cowling, Hugh P. Possingham & Kerrie A. Wilson

19. Spatial Conservation Prioritization: Past, Present, and Future , Atte Moilanen, Hugh P. Possingham & Kerrie A. Wilson References Index