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Achieving Conservation Goals With Urbanizing Landscapes

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Synopsis: Achieving Conservation goals with Urbanizing Landscapes

Goal of the Study: To help Conservation biology realize that they need to embrace urbanizing ecosystems; to consider designing a protected area of network in NJ highlands; to apply the costs of obtaining land and integrating this land into a protected urban area and to observe the performance of a long stand preserved urban area in central university in terms of its biodiversity protection.

Rationale: Urban areas should not be ignored because they hold a surprisingly high number of native species, some of which are very much of conservation concern. At time conservation biologist think about what areas are the best areas that will allow them to conserve as much species…show more content…
In 1996 to 2004, State0wide voters accepted a budget of $11.4 billion dollars to fund many urban land conservation projects. During this vote, New Jersey accounted for over 75% of this funding. Major motivations include preserving local biodiversity in an urbanizing environment and protecting important populations or rare species. Professor Lockwood realized that 17 species found in the area were rapidly declining, such as Least flycatcher, field sparrow and cerulean warbler. Professor Lockwood made it her goal to find an urban area that would allow these bird species to thrive, and affordable cost of acquiring the land.

Methods: Professor Lockwood used distribution maps from MAxent software for each of the 17 species of birds and then overlaid these distribution maps unto the maps of land use/land cover in the study region. In order to build a protected areas network in the New Jersey highlands that will provide sufficient habitat for the 17 species, Professor Lockwood used an optimization algorithm. Optimization algorithm often used in evolution studies and industrial. These are very well developed for many situations in which the goal needs to be met at minimum costs. In this situation, the Algorithm would search through the red dots of the species, looking to include those that satisfy habitat needs for birds while minimizing the costs, such as
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