Translating statistical species-habitat models to interactive decision support tools

PLoS One. 2017 Dec 13;12(12):e0188244. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188244. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Understanding species-habitat relationships is vital to successful conservation, but the tools used to communicate species-habitat relationships are often poorly suited to the information needs of conservation practitioners. Here we present a novel method for translating a statistical species-habitat model, a regression analysis relating ring-necked pheasant abundance to landcover, into an interactive online tool. The Pheasant Habitat Simulator combines the analytical power of the R programming environment with the user-friendly Shiny web interface to create an online platform in which wildlife professionals can explore the effects of variation in local landcover on relative pheasant habitat suitability within spatial scales relevant to individual wildlife managers. Our tool allows users to virtually manipulate the landcover composition of a simulated space to explore how changes in landcover may affect pheasant relative habitat suitability, and guides users through the economic tradeoffs of landscape changes. We offer suggestions for development of similar interactive applications and demonstrate their potential as innovative science delivery tools for diverse professional and public audiences.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Decision Support Techniques*
  • Ecosystem*
  • Galliformes
  • Internet
  • Models, Statistical*
  • Species Specificity
  • User-Computer Interface

Grants and funding

Funding for this project was received from Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration projects W-98-R, administered by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is supported by a cooperative agreement among the U.S. Geological Survey, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the University of Nebraska, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Management Institute. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Olsson Associates provided support in the form of salary for author CFJ, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.