Strategic Conservation of Gulf Coast Landscapes Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and Open Source Remote Sensing and GIS Data

Land conservation decisions often overlook the ecological benefits associated with them. Multiple measures of ecosystem services need to be considered as a framework to evaluate potential areas of interest for conservation. In this research, we developed a conservation prioritization framework that incorporated data measures derived from openly available Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing data and used multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The proposed framework is implemented as an online geospatial conservation prioritization tool (CPT) for the Gulf Coast region of the United States. The CPT is built on a database of 19 measures developed in association with the interests of various stakeholders. Experimental results and feedback from stakeholders on the use of CPT indicate that the approach developed in this project is beneficial for strategizing conservation efforts. This online geospatial tool can be accessed at the following URL: https://scagulf.shinyapps.io/CPTp1/