Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird Populations

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Designing Landscapes for Sustainable Bird
Populations

• Structured Decision Making Workshop
• Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

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Presentation Outline

• Strategic habitat conservation?
• Project Goals
• Vision for the final products
• Process structured decision making
• Decision support tool roadmap
• Defining and dividing the problem
• Priority birds
• Objectives bird habitat conservation
• Alternatives selecting focal (surrogate)
  species
• Consequences of the selection
• Landscape characteristics
• Objectives
• Mapping priorities

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Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC)
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Strategic Habitat Conservation?

• Biological planning
• Ecological context (Threats and limiting factors)
• Selecting surrogate bird species (SDM)
• Population objectives SAMBI Plan
• Species-habitat relationships Jaime, Steve,
  Matt
• Conservation Design
• Habitat required to meet the population
  objectives - ???
• Desired landscape configuration (SDM)
• Decision support tool
• Where will we get the best response from
  conservation?

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LMV JV decision support tool

• One focal habitat bottomland hardwood forests
• Landscape dominated by agriculture
• Goal target populations of surrogate forest bird
  species
• Primary means
• Reforestation

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EGCP JV open pine decision tool
Similar projects

• One focal habitat
• Complex landscape
• Goal target populations of surrogate open pine
  bird species
• Primary means
• Longleaf restoration
• Improved management of existing habitat
• Habitat acquisition

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Vision for the final product(s)

• Multiple habitats
• Complex, dynamic landscape
• Urban growth
• Climate change
• Goal target populations of many surrogate bird
  species
• Product(s)
• Map of highest priority areas for each habitat
  type

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How do we get there?

• Structured Decision Making
• Process for making smart choices
• References
• Gregory, R.S., and R.L. Keeney. 2002. Making
  smarter environmental decisions. Journal American
  Water Resources Association. 38(6)1601-1612
• Hammond, J.S., R. L. Keeney, and H. Raiffa. Smart
  choices A practical guide to making better
  decisions, by Harvard Business School Press,
  Boston, Massachusetts, 1999.

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Introduction to SDM

• Important decisions are made in any action or
  policy
• Smart decisions are fundamental to success
• Tools available to professionals
• Economics
• Psychology
• Statistics
• Biology and ecology
• Project management
• Ignore basic principles of sound decision making
• Not just an art

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Five core elements - PrOACT

• Problem Solve the right problem
• Objectives Describe the desired outcomes
• Alternatives Consider any reasonable actions
  that achieve the outcomes
• Consequences Describe how well alternatives
  meet objectives
• Tradeoffs Evaluate consequences of each
  alternative
• Core of structured decision making (Hammond et
  al., 1999).

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Three additional elements - URL

• Uncertainty
• Understand the limits of the data and models
• Risk Tolerance
• Low tolerance grave consequences
• High tolerance less serious consequences
• Linked Decisions
• Do choices made today influence choices to make
  tomorrow?
• More advanced concepts

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Reasons for SDM process

• Group psychology encourages conformity
• Results in erroneous choices
• Fail to address individuals priorities
• Dont explore minority views
• Real decisions left to someone else
• Managers provide competent options
• Dealing with complexity -gt administrators
• Neglects importance of individual decision making
• Overlooks diversity of approaches/perspectives