The design of nature reserves: A simulation trial for assessing specific conservation value

Abstract The preservation of maximum species richness is not always equivalent to preserving the most valuable portion of an ecosystem. Since species have different probabilities of extinction, the rarest or most threatened have a higher interest—from the conservation viewpoint—than the common species. A method for designing an ‘optimum reserve’ is described based on the assessment of the specific conservation value (V s ) and the total conservation value per unit area (V t ). For each species V s depends on (i) the local area occupied, that is, the microgeographic dispersion; (ii) the geographic range in the continent or biogeographic region; (iii) density or abundance; (iv) tendency to extinction and any other parameter able to be quantified. Values are assigned so as to handicap the more common species. Simulation based on randomly distributed V s values and spatial distributions are analysed and compared with real cases. The method may be useful when part of a big area with a good knowledge of its biota must be selected for preservation, or for the delimitation of intangible areas within a reserve.

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