Incidental achievement of fine-resolution objectives by coarse-resolution priorities

Full description

This dataset contains information on the degree to which conservation objectives for high thematic resolution would be achieved by priority areas identified by the ten coarse scenarios tested with large planning units. The incidental_rep_results.csv files consists of Csv table containing information on each of the high thematic resolution (code L5) habitats assessed for incidental representation. Codes correspond to habitat types categorised in the original spatial dataset. Natural log-transformed rarity values for each L5 habitat are also shown for each L5 habitat, calculated as the extent of each feature relative to that of the whole study area, expressed as a percentage. Formula used: [1 - (total habitat extent / total planning extent)] x 100. Values of incidental representation for each of the L5 habitats are shown for each of the unique prioritisation scenarios (20 total). Please refer to accompanying publication for further details on methods used to calculate incidental representation of L5 habitats.

Notes

There are several datasets associated with the study described in the related publication. The study quantifies the individual and interacting effects of three factors - planning-unit size, thematic resolution of habitat maps, and spatial variability of socioeconomic costs - on spatial priorities for conservation, by creating 20 unique prioritisation scenarios involving different levels of each factor. Prioritisations were run using the reserve selection tool Marxan. Because output data from these scenarios are analogous to ecological data, ecological statistics were applied to determine spatial similarities between reserve designs. The other datasets for this study can be found at the Related Data links below.

This dataset is available as a comma-separated values (.csv) file.

Coral-reef habitats in Fiji and Micronesia (consisting of the Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Guam, and the Federated States of Micronesia) were used as case studies. Although analyses are grounded in real data, they are demonstration exercises and not intended to inform real-world conservation action in the study regions.