Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap
Abstract The biodiversity and climate change crises have led countries—including Canada—to commit to protect more land and inland waters and to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations. Canada is also obligated to recover populations of at-risk species, including boreal caribou. Canada has the opport...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15274-8 |
| _version_ | 1828746915740647424 |
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| author | Amanda E. Martin Erin Neave Patrick Kirby C. Ronnie Drever Cheryl A. Johnson |
| author_facet | Amanda E. Martin Erin Neave Patrick Kirby C. Ronnie Drever Cheryl A. Johnson |
| author_sort | Amanda E. Martin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The biodiversity and climate change crises have led countries—including Canada—to commit to protect more land and inland waters and to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations. Canada is also obligated to recover populations of at-risk species, including boreal caribou. Canada has the opportunity to expand its protected areas network to protect hotspots of high value for biodiversity and climate mitigation. However, co-occurrence of hotspots is rare. Here we ask: is it possible to expand the network to simultaneously protect areas important for boreal caribou, other species at risk, climate refugia, and carbon stores? We used linear programming to prioritize areas for protection based on these conservation objectives, and assessed how prioritization for multiple, competing objectives affected the outcome for each individual objective. Our multi-objective approach produced reasonably strong representation of value across objectives. Although trade-offs were required, the multi-objective outcome was almost always better than when we ignored one objective to maximize value for another, highlighting the risk of assuming that a plan based on one objective will also result in strong outcomes for others. Multi-objective optimization approaches could be used to plan for protected areas networks that address biodiversity and climate change objectives, even when hotspots do not co-occur. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:33:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0dbb59a24064f6699dbcfe418bbbb2a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:33:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0dbb59a24064f6699dbcfe418bbbb2a2022-12-22T02:11:58ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-07-0112111410.1038/s41598-022-15274-8Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlapAmanda E. Martin0Erin Neave1Patrick Kirby2C. Ronnie Drever3Cheryl A. Johnson4Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research CentreEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research CentreEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research CentreNature UnitedEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology, National Wildlife Research CentreAbstract The biodiversity and climate change crises have led countries—including Canada—to commit to protect more land and inland waters and to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations. Canada is also obligated to recover populations of at-risk species, including boreal caribou. Canada has the opportunity to expand its protected areas network to protect hotspots of high value for biodiversity and climate mitigation. However, co-occurrence of hotspots is rare. Here we ask: is it possible to expand the network to simultaneously protect areas important for boreal caribou, other species at risk, climate refugia, and carbon stores? We used linear programming to prioritize areas for protection based on these conservation objectives, and assessed how prioritization for multiple, competing objectives affected the outcome for each individual objective. Our multi-objective approach produced reasonably strong representation of value across objectives. Although trade-offs were required, the multi-objective outcome was almost always better than when we ignored one objective to maximize value for another, highlighting the risk of assuming that a plan based on one objective will also result in strong outcomes for others. Multi-objective optimization approaches could be used to plan for protected areas networks that address biodiversity and climate change objectives, even when hotspots do not co-occur.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15274-8 |
| spellingShingle | Amanda E. Martin Erin Neave Patrick Kirby C. Ronnie Drever Cheryl A. Johnson Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap Scientific Reports |
| title | Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap |
| title_full | Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap |
| title_fullStr | Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap |
| title_short | Multi-objective optimization can balance trade-offs among boreal caribou, biodiversity, and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap |
| title_sort | multi objective optimization can balance trade offs among boreal caribou biodiversity and climate change objectives when conservation hotspots do not overlap |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15274-8 |
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