Species' movements affect their response to environmental change but movement knowledge is often highly uncertain. We now have well-established methods to integrate movement knowledge into conservation practice but still lack a framework to deal with uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions. We provide a framework that distinguishes two dimensions of species' movement that are heavily influenced by uncertainty: knowledge about movement and relevance of movement to environmental decisions. Management decisions can be informed by their position in this knowledge-relevance space. We then outline a framework to support decisions around (1) increasing understanding of the relevance of movement knowledge, (2) increasing robustness of decisions to uncertainties and (3) improving knowledge on species' movement. Our decision-support framework provides guidance for managing movement-related uncertainty in systematic conservation planning, agri-environment schemes, habitat restoration and international biodiversity policy. It caters to different resource levels (time and funding) so that species' movement knowledge can be more effectively integrated into environmental decisions.
1.Univ Dublin, Trinity Coll Dublin, Sch Nat Sci, Zool, Dublin 2, Ireland 2.Univ Melbourne, Sch Biosci, Melbourne, Vic, Australia 3.Australian Govt, Dept Environm & Energy, Pk Australia Div, Canberra, ACT, Australia 4.CSIRO, Ctr Australian Natl Biodivers Res, Canberra, ACT, Australia 5.Australian Natl Univ, Fenner Sch Environm & Soc, Canberra, ACT, Australia 6.Terr Ecosyst Res Network, Long Term Ecol Res Network, Canberra, ACT, Australia 7.Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Alexander Silberman Inst Life Sci, Dept Ecol Evolut & Behav, Jerusalem, Israel 8.Australian Govt, Dept Environm & Energy, Wildlife Heritage& Marine Div, Canberra, ACT, Australia 9.Deakin Univ Geelong, Sch Life & Environm Sci, Burwood, Vic, Australia 10.Univ Maine, Dept Wildlife Fisheries & Conservat Biol, Orono, ME USA 11.Australian Govt, Dept Environm & Energy, Environm Stand Div, Canberra, ACT, Australia 12.Univ Queensland, Sch Biol Sci, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
Recommended Citation:
Smith, Annabel L.,Kujala, Heini,Lahoz-Monfort, Jose J.,et al. Managing uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions[J]. CONSERVATION LETTERS,2019-01-01,12(3)