Doctoral Dissertation Research in Geography and Regional Science

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Nature reserves have been recognized as an important means of preserving a diverse range of biological species, but such protected areas have generally been selected on a site-by-site basis. Ecologists and biogeographers have a growing sense that ecological sustainability and adaptability also are important criteria that must be met to maximize the benefits of reserves, and that a complementary set of reserves (rather than an unrelated collection of independent sites) offers the greatest potential for preserving the largest number and broadest range of plant and animal species. This doctoral dissertation research project will test the hypothesis that a system of nature reserves, which is systematically selected using prevailing principles of landscape ecology and conservation biology, will be more effective in preserving biological species than will traditional means of selecting reserves one at a time. The hypothesis will be tested through development of a small-scale geographic information system (GIS) into which data for a case study area on two large islands in Western Samoa will be loaded. These data on vegetation, animals, soils, other physical characteristics, human features, and land ownership will be analyzed to determine a set of core sites and connecting corridors on each island to constitute the bases of systems of nature reserves. The resulted sets of reserves will be systematically compared with each other, with randomly generated hypothetical networks, and with networks based on research by other scholars. These analyses then will provide the basis for development of general geographic models to describe the locales that should be included in a system of reserves that best preserves flora and fauna. The practical results of this research will include the development of a specific plan for nature reserves for possible implementation by the Western Samoan government. Of far greater long- term benefit, however, is the specification of a general geographic model for species preservation through a network of nature reserves. This model can be simulated for other sites using independent data in order to determine its generalizability, therefore providing a broader base of understanding of how systems of nature reserves can alter rates of change among plant and animal species.