Effectiveness of Biodiversity Surrogates for Conservation Planning: Different Measures of Effectiveness Generate a Kaleidoscope of Variation

摘要: Conservation planners represent many aspects of biodiversity by using surrogates with spatial distributions readily observed or quantified, but tests their effectiveness have produced varied and conflicting results. We identified four factors likely to a strong influence on the apparent surrogates: (1) choice surrogate; (2) differences among study regions, which might be large unquantified (3) test method, that is, how is (4) features are intended represent. Analysis an unusually rich dataset enabled us, for first time, disentangle these compare individual interacting influences. Using two data-rich we estimated five alternative methods: forms incidental representation, species accumulation index irreplaceability correlation, assess performance ‘forest ecosystems’ ‘environmental units’ as six groups threatened species—the features—mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, plants all combined. Four methods tested selecting areas conservation then estimating effective those were at representing features. One method measured match between priorities For selected areas, analytical approaches: when representation targets achieved (incidental representation), progressively (species index). correlation known summed irreplaceability. In general, our taxa (mostly species) was low, although environmental units tended more than forest ecosystems. The most mammals least frogs reptiles. testing differed in rankings relation different There terms feature groups. Overall, sensitive factors. This indicates need caution generalizing surrogacy tests.