Applying Graph Theory to Design Networks of Protected Areas: Using Inter-Patch Distance for Regional Conservation Planning

Abstract

Protected Areas alone may not be large enough to sustain viable populations; thus an alternative is establishing effective networks of protected areas (NPAs). When data on functional connectivity are scarce, landscape structure is viable way to evaluate landscape connectivity. Here we applied the graph approach at the regional scale (Rio de Janeiro state) to design NPAs to conserve several terrestrial mammal species. We used Euclidean and effective distances to compare the number of connections for each protected area. We found that inter-patch distance is a useful metric to design NPAs. Moreover, some protected areas are critically isolated, as indicated by the effective distance. Although several studies use data and models of high specificity, most of them are local and few can be immediately applied for conservation purposes. The methodology used here can help in planning NPAs in a straightforward way providing practitioners with simple analyses and few landscape data.

GIS and Spatial Analysis Meet Conservation: a Promising Synergy to Address Biodiversity Issues

“…The same pattern can be observed in this Special Issue, where studies covered all spatial scales, the regional extent was the most frequent, and some studies were developed across different scales (e.g. Jenkins et al 2011;Crouzeilles et al 2011;Holvorcem et al 2011).…”

“…Almost 20% of the papers were related to "environmental change", theme that was present in the special issue associated to climate change and land use change (Dobrovolski et al 2011). The issues "area conservation prioritization" or "spatial support decision" were present in 18% of the papers, being well represented in this special issue Jenkins et al 2011;Crouzeilles et al 2011;Holvorcem et al 2011;Lemes et al 2011). "Scale" was addressed by 10% of the papers and also by Diniz-Filho & Bini (2011).…”

“…"Threats and impacts on biodiversity" and "biodiversity assessment, management and monitoring" were the research theme in more than 30% of the papers (see Esteves et al 2011;Koblitz et al 2011). The themes "habitat fragmentation and connectivity" and "measures of ecosystems properties, goods and services" were addressed by more than 25% of the papers, and are also present in this special issue (respectively in Crouzeilles et al 2011;Holvorcem et al 2011;Ladle et al 2011). Almost 20% of the papers were related to "environmental change", theme that was present in the special issue associated to climate change and land use change (Dobrovolski et al 2011).…”

Toughness condition for a graph to be all fractional (g,f,n)-critical deleted

“…In turn, theoretical analysis can help scientists make effective network designs at the beginning. Several developed tricks on graph based networks designing can be referred to Rahimi and Haghighi [1], Haenggi et al [2], Fardad et al [3], Pishvaee and Rabbani [4], Lanzeni [5], Possani et al [6], Ashwin and Postlethwaite [7], de Araujo et al [8], Rizzelli et al [9], and Crouzeilles et al [10].…”

Lagoa Uma Visão Chis Cidades Mais Humanas, Inteligentes E Sustentáveis: Inovação Urbana E Cocriação

“…Observa-se que a UC1 (FLONA) e a UC2 (APA) são as maiores áreas protegidas na paisagem e reúnem em seus entornos variados caminhos de dispersão que podem ser percorridos pelas espécies-focais. A proposta de uma rede ecológica eficaz ligando as maiores UCs com as UCs municipais, que são essencialmente urbanas, pode aumentar os fluxos biológicos na paisagem(CROUZEILLES;LORINI;GRELLE, 2011). Nos CLOs traçados, observa-se que muitos deles seguem caminhos próximos aos cursos d'água, se utilizando das Áreas de Preservação Permanente (APPs), mostrando que as zonas ripárias têm uma importância notável na conectividade dos habitats florestais em ambientes urbanos, incluindo a conexão entre UCs.…”