Managing nature conservation prioritization: a spatial conservation planning index approach

A perpetual lack of adequate resources to conserve and protect nature requires managers to prioritize some conservation efforts over others. Conservation managers tend to resist prioritization based on one specific goal, preferring to compare the outcomes of conservation programs with the achievement of diverse goals. We describe a conservation index based on a survey of management at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). The result provided an index for spatial prioritization of conservation efforts. The surveys revealed a strong preference for conservation attributes that were more relevant in the north of Israel where levels of biodiversity are perceived to be higher. The contribution of this research is to provide an objective method of spatial prioritization not requiring conservation managers to express preferences for one region over another. A second contribution of the research was the revealed differences in prioritization of conservation goals between national INPA staff and district staff.