Design Of Nature Reserves Research Articles

Do archipelagoes really preserve fewer species than one island of the same total area.

The optimal strategy in the design of nature reserves is investigated by means of the theory of island biogeography. Some previous results are revised. A new form of the incidence functions is presented. Their merit is that they do not ignore the minimum area requirements, they are more flexible, and in a number of instances describe reality better than those formerly used. They lead to the conclusion that in order to preserve as many species as possible in refuges whose total size is given, the number of refuges must be limited and depends on the parameters of the incidence functions and on the area available.

Modern biogeographic theory: Are there any lessons for nature reserve design?

Several geometric design principles have been proposed by Diamond (1975) and Wilson & Willis (1975) for nature reserves, aimed at maximising species richness. Theoretical and empirical evidence is presented here both in favour of, and against, these designs. We conclude that they should be used with caution, if at all, since they are based on the unsubstantiated equilibrium theory of island biogeography and the equivocal species-area relationship.

Island Biogeography Theory and Nature Reserve Design

Island Biogeography Theory and Nature Reserve Design

Patch dynamics and the design of nature reserves

Island biogeographic theory has been applied to the design of nature reserves. However, immigration, which is important in maintaining species equilibrium on true islands, will not contribute significantly to the maintenance of equilibrium on reserves in the future because of the disappearance of recolonisation sources. Consequently, extinction becomes the dominant population process, and the internal disturbance dynamics become the critical design feature of reserves. The design of reserves should be based on ‘minimum dynamic area’, the smallest area with a natural disturbance regime which maintains internal recolonisation sources and hence minimises extinctions. Determination of minimum dynamic area must be based on knowledge of disturbance-generated patch size, frequency, and longevity, and the mobilities of the preserved species. These features have not all been explicitly considered in the previous island biogeographic design recommendations.