Question

You are a conservation manager with a budget able to purchase a pair of forested properties in an agricultural matrix- X and Y in either location A or B shown below. Assume parcels X and Y are identical in both locations, including in the total number of hectares. Which do you choose?

Location B because there is less nearby forested land, so it has more conservation value

Location A because the patches are connected

they are equal from an ecological perspective, so it does not matter

Swano Creek T-67 Creek sivamo 100 Swamp Creek

Answer 1

Location B. This is because the purpose of purchase of the land is conservation. Location A has more trees and they can spread easily as they are also connected and by seed dispersal , the land can have more forest cover. But Location B is having less forest cover, so this needs to be conserved and it will have more conservation value. Because there are not many trees in the region, the land may also be rich in nutrients as there is not much tree growth there. Growing trees in the region will attract more animals like pollinators and other animals feeding on these trees. Thus the region will be full of life and the soil also gets conserved due to the growth of trees. The environment also can get stabilized with respect to temperature, rain fall etc.

If the purpose is to conserve the environment, Location B needs to be conserved as it seems to be dry also. Location A has a swampy area which indicates there is good water level in the region.

Growth of forest will improve ground water level, rain fall, temperature etc in the region.