ACCOUNTING FOR CONNECTIVITY AND SPATIAL CORRELATION IN THE OPTIMAL PLACEMENT OF WILDLIFE HABITAT

This paper investigates optimization approaches to simultaneously mode lling habitat fragmentation and spatial correlation between patch popu lations. The problem is formulated with habitat connectivity affecting population means and variances, with spatial correlations accounted f or in covariance calculations. Population with a pre-specified confide nce level is then maximized in nonlinear programs that define habitat patches as circles (fixed shape) or rectangles (variable shape). The i deas and model formulations are demonstrated in a case example with a maximum of four habitat patches. Spatial layout of habitat is strongly sensitive to species dispersal characteristics and the spatial correl ation structure resulting from different environmental disturbance age nts.