APPLYING GIS AND LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES TO EVALUATE LAND CONSERVATION ALTERNATIVES

Nowhere in the eastern United States is the conflict between the conse rvation of the rich biological diversity of existing forested landscap es vs, a continued expansion of suburban/exurban development more evid ent than in the case of Sterling Forest, a 7245 ha tract of land on th e New York-New Jersey border. This paper reports on our application of geographic information systems (GIS)-based assessment and landscape e cological principles to assess the environmental sensitivity of Sterli ng Forest lands and to prioritize lands for conservation protection. T his GIS assessment served as the basis of subsequent negotiations of a compromise conservation-development plan by a coalition of land conse rvation trusts and the land owner/developer. Sterling Forest represent s a useful case study of the application of GIS technology by the non- profit environmental groups in successfully undertaking an independent analysis of a regionally important land use issue. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.