Miguel B. Araújo Lab

Predicting the effects of environmental change on biodiversity

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Spatial Conservation Prioritization

  • 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.