A modeling framework for life history-based conservation planning

Abstract

Reserve site selection models can be enhanced by including habitat conditions that populations need for food, shelter, and reproduction. We present a new population protection function that determines whether minimum areas of land with desired habitat features are present within the desired spatial conditions in the protected sites. Embedding the protection function as a constraint in reserve site selection models provides a way to select sets of sites that satisfy these habitat requirements. We illustrate the mechanics and the flexibility of the protection function by embedding it in two linear-integer programming models for reserve site selection and applying the models to a case study of Myotis bat conservation on Lopez Island, United States. The models capture high-resolution, species-specific habitat requirements that are critical for Myotis persistence. The models help quantify the increasing marginal costs of protecting Myotis habitat and show that optimal site selection strategies are sensitive to the relative importance of habitat requirements.