Biodiversity conservation planner – reserves, wildlife corridors and invasive species
BiologyEcology & EnvironmentAges 17–18
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Sign in to playA landscape of forest patches and farmland with 11 species. On a limited budget, place nature reserves, plant wildlife corridors between patches, add buffer strips along forest edges, control an invasive predator, limit hunting and run a captive-breeding or seed-bank programme, then run several decades and track species richness, Simpson's diversity index, the threat status of each species, the species–area relationship and ecosystem services.
Lesson: Conservation of biodiversity: in situ and ex situ conservation, nature reserves, wildlife corridors, habitat fragmentation, invasive species and Simpson's diversity index
What it shows
Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading causes of species decline. Small, isolated patches hold small populations that can die out by chance, and the core of a patch shrinks faster than its area because edges are disturbed. This planner models each of 11 species with logistic growth in every forest patch, dispersal that falls with distance, an invasive predator, hunting and an ex situ programme. You can compare designs over decades by species richness, Simpson's index D = 1 − Σn(n − 1)/(N(N − 1)), simplified IUCN threat categories and ecosystem services such as carbon storage and pollination.
How to use
Pick a tool (Reserve, Corridor, Buffer strip, Remove) and paint on the map; Inspect shows a patch's area, core and isolation. Set Invasive species, Hunting and Ex situ, then press Run or +1 year. Forecast risk runs 20 futures to estimate each species' extinction risk. Switch Graph to Species–area to see z, and compare finished runs in the results table.
Parameters you can change
- Landscape Farmland with forest patches, Large forest being cleared
- Rate of habitat loss (unprotected forest) 0–3 %/year
- Total budget 50–300 units
- Time simulated 20–100 years
- Control of the invasive predator No control, Trapping (2 units/year), Intensive eradication (5 units/year)
- Limits on hunting and collecting Unrestricted, Quota (1 unit/year), Full ban (2 units/year)
- Ex situ conservation None, Captive breeding of the wildcat, Captive breeding of the tree frog, Seed bank for the forest orchid, Captive breeding of the ground-nesting bird
Questions to explore
- Why does one large reserve keep more interior species than several small ones of the same total area?
- Which species gain from a wildlife corridor, and what can a corridor also spread?
- With a fixed budget, is it better to buy more reserve land or to pay for invasive species control?
