Optimality in reserve selection algorithms: When does it matter and how much?

TLDR: This paper responds to recent criticisms in Biological Conservation of heuristic reserve selection algorithms and shows that heuristics have practical advantages over classical methods and that suboptimality is not necessarily a disadvantage for many real-world applications.

About: This article is published in Biological Conservation.The article was published on 1996-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 325 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Heuristic (computer science) & Heuristics.

Figures

Table 1. Minimum numbers and areas of sites selected by alternative algorithms; bracketed figures are percentage increases relative to optimal solutions

Table 2. Total areas (km 2) of pastoral holdings selected by three algorithms to represent all land types in the Western Division of New South Wales at least once; scenario 1: no existing reserves, all selections from the algorithm; scenario 2: starting with initial parts of existing reserves, before consolidation with adjacent areas (17 pastoral holdings); scenario 3: starting with all existing reserves (41 holdings); scenario 4: starting with all existing reserves plus all reserve proposals (135 holdings)

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What have the authors contributed in "Optimality in reserve selection algorithms: when does it matter and how much?" ?

This paper responds to recent criticisms in Biological Conservation of heuristic reserve selection algorithms. The authors discuss optimality in the context of a range of needs for conservation planning. The authors also show that heuristics have practical advantages over classical methods and that suboptimality is not necessarily a disadvantage for many real-world applications. Further work on alternative reserve selection algorithms is certainly needed, but the necessary criteria for assessing their utility must be broader than mathematical optimality. 

Q2. What is the message from these analyses?

The message from these analyses is that an intelligently written heuristic can be as valuable as an optimizing algorithm for comparative purposes, depending on how much precision is needed in the comparison. 

Q3. What is the need for further work on alternative reserve selection algorithms?

Further work on alternative reserve selection algorithms is certainly needed, but the necessary criteria for assessing their utility must be broader than mathematical optimality. 

Q4. What is the third reason for caution in interpreting the selection order of an algorithm?

A third reason for caution in interpreting the selection order of an algorithm as the preferred order of acquisition concerns the vulnerability of sites or their need for protection. 

Q5. What is the importance of heuristics for real-time investigation of alternative reservation scenarios?

The ability of heuristics to produce quick answers as parts of interactive systems (e.g. Williams et al., 1991; Bedward et al., 1992; Pressey et al., 1995) is extremely important for real-time investigation of alternative reservation scenarios.