Meeting Human and Biodiversity Needs for 30 × 30 and beyond with an Iterative Land Allocation Framework and Tool

John A. Gallo (), Amanda T. Lombard, Richard M. Cowling, Randal Greene and Frank W. Davis
Additional contact information
John A. Gallo: Botany Department, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape 6031, South Africa
Amanda T. Lombard: Botany Department, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape 6031, South Africa
Richard M. Cowling: Botany Department, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape 6031, South Africa
Randal Greene: Feaver’s Lane Enterprises Inc., St. John’s, NL A1C1T6, Canada
Frank W. Davis: Bren School, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, USA

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-29

Abstract: Spatial conservation prioritization does not necessarily lead to effective conservation plans, and good plans do not necessarily lead to action. These “science-action” gaps are pernicious and need to be narrowed, especially if the international goal of conserving 30% of the planet by 2030 is to be realized. We present the Earthwise Framework, a flexible and customizable spatial decision support system (SDSS) architecture and social process to address the challenges of these science-action gaps. Utilizing case study experience from regions within California, South Africa, and British Columbia, we outline the framework and provide the Little Karoo, South Africa SDSS data, code and results to illustrate five design strategies of the framework. The first is to employ an “open science” strategy for collaborative conservation planning and action. Another is that marginal value functions allow for the continuous accounting of element (e.g., habitat) representation in prioritization algorithms, allowing for an SDSS that is more automated and saves valuable time for stakeholders and scientists. Thirdly, we program connectivity modeling integrated within the SDSS, with an algorithm that not only automatically calculates all the least cost corridors of a region, but prioritizes among them and removes the ones that do not make ecological sense. Fourth, we highlight innovations in multi-criteria decision analysis that allow for both cost-efficient plan development, like representative solution sets, but also land-use planning requirements, like site specific valuation, in what appears to be a more transparent, understandable, and usable manner than traditional approaches. Finally, strategic attention to communicating uncertainty is also advocated. The Earthwise Framework is an open science endeavor that can be implemented via a variety of software tools and languages, has several frontiers for further research and development, and shows promise in finding a better way to meet the needs of both humans and biodiversity.

Keywords: spatial decision support system; collaborative conservation planning; habitat connectivity; habitat representation; 30 × 30 commitment; EEMS; OECM; LandAdvisor; Earthwise Framework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/1/254/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/1/254/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:1:p:254-:d:1036136

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().