Biopolicy, Vol.2, Paper 3 (PY97003), 1997
Electronic journal, URL - http://www.bdt.org.br/bioline/py
Tradeoff analysis in planning networks of protected areas for
biodiversity conservation
Gordon Brent Ingram
Environmental Planning, 1230 Hamilton Street, 204 Vancouver, Canada V6B
2S8; e-mail gbingram@axionet.com
Code Number: PY97003
Size of Files:
Text: 113.3K
Graphics: Line Drawings (gif) - 31.0K
Key words: biological diversity conservation tradeoff analysis,
networks of protected areas
SUMMARY
Much of modern nature conservation has been preoccupied with variations on
the largely nineteenth century colonial notion of the national park. In
this current period of tremendous rates of loss of habitat and biological
resources, the pool of interventions available to the land use planner and
manager must be expanded with underlying relationships and possibilities
further explored. This paper outlines some of the tenets of the emerging
theory of environmental planning for the conservation of biological
diversity and considers the myriad of interventions available. Such
measures are grouped into:
1. protected area allocation;
2. reserve management; and
3. regulation of land use external to protected areas.
Three sets of tradeoffs emerge from the requirements for the maintenance of
biological diversity in networks of protected habitats across districts and
regions between:
1. area of habitat protection and regulation;
2. total area of protected habitat and relatively "natural" or intact
condition of those ecosystems within reserve boundaries; and
3. management within protected areas and regulation of land use outside of
reserves.
Resulting conservation possibilities can vary between contexts. Alternative
regimens of interventions for basic levels of biodiversity conservation
reflect intrinsic biological and ecosystem constraints as well as more
fluid historical, institutional and cultural factors. The highlighting of
tradeoffs between habitat protection and expanded land use involves
identification of threshholds that would support minimum levels of
conservation of biological diversity. Identification of threshholds and
constraints contributes to the development of more viable strategies for
both conservation and economic development.
Copyright remains with the author.
Published by Bioline Publications.
Editorial Office: biopol@biostrat.demon.co.uk
