HARMONY SEARCH AND ECOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION

meta-heuristic algorithm, was first applied to an ecological conservation problem for preserving species and their habitats. The problem was formulated as an optimization problem of maximal covering species problem (MCSP) in order to maximize covered species under the limited efforts. Then, it was solved by an improved harmony search algorithm which includes problem-specific operators. When applied to real-world problem (State of Oregon, USA), the harmony search algorithm found better solutions than those of another meta-heuristic algorithm, simulated annealing.