Using social, ecological, and climate data to identify the most important places for conservation.
Abstract
This paper presents a framework for identifying sites where, across a range of climate scenarios, conservation actions would have high benefits for biodiversity, but also low potential for causing human conflicts. It combines social, ecological, and climate data to rapidly winnow the number of sites under consideration for conservation actions. For example, conservation organizations could save time and money by using our three- part framework, considering: where conservation is most important (based on the species present and their conservation needs); where conservation is most feasible (based on tradeoffs between human and environmental needs); and where conservation actions would have consistent outcomes across a wide range of future climate conditions.