Assessing habitat diversity and potential areas of similarity across protected areas globally
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
Elsevier
Materia
Remote-sensing Modelling Conservation prioritisation Biophysical characterization Biophysical characterization
Date
2023-04-03Referencia bibliográfica
J. Martínez-López et al. Assessing habitat diversity and potential areas of similarity across protected areas globally. Ecological Informatics 75 (2023) 102090[https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2023.102090]
Sponsorship
European Commission European Commission Joint Research Centre; Biodi- versity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme, an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States; Marie Curie Actions CT-EX2020D381533-101; Spanish Ministry of Universities and Next Generation European Union fundsAbstract
Biophysical characterization analyses of protected areas (PA) that provide information on their ecological values
and potential areas with similar characteristics are needed to make informed PA network planning and management
decisions. This study combines and further develops methodologies that use remote sensing and
modelling to identify habitat functional types in PAs and map similar areas at the ecoregion level. The study also
develops new terrestrial habitat diversity and irreplaceability indices at habitat and PA scale that allow the
comparison and ranking of PAs in terms of biophysical gradients and singular environmental conditions. Six PAs
were selected to highlight and discuss the results of the proposed methodology. Both individual and composite
indices should be considered when trying to compare PAs to understand the overall complexity and ecological
values of each PA. Results can inform planning and management of individual and protected area networks as
well as identify new areas for conservation. The information provided by the model about similar habitats
outside protected areas can also help assess their representativeness and support studies to strengthen ecological
connectivity. Besides systematic comparisons, detailed assessments of protected areas can also be performed
using medium and high-resolution input variables. This is especially relevant for protected areas in developing
countries where undertaking fieldwork is very difficult and the budget devoted to conservation is limited.