Project Director

Weerasena, Lakmali

Department Examiner

Gunasekera, Sumith; Ebiefung, Aniekan

Department

Dept. of Mathematics

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Due to limitations in funding and natural resources, it is infeasible to construct perfect reserve systems for large populations of critical species. For this project, our objective is to formulate a reserve design model that minimizes the distance between reserve sites meeting a threshold of biodiversity features subject to a species coverage constraints. Coupled with other spatial characteristics including reserve size and configuration, the boundary of a reserve system is of key importance. While positive area effects are gained when selecting additional sites, negative boundary length effects are also experienced. For example, it is costly to implement and maintain boundary sites, especially those fragmented from a main cluster of sites. Further, due to the difficulties in maintaining more site boundaries, species populations are now prone to negative boundary effects such as inability to remain in the site reserve and increased predator presence. However, it is frequently the case that the reserve boundary is expanded by introducing a boundary site containing an endangered species. Thus, we must consider the trade-offs that accompany selecting a new boundary reserve site and its cost. In this project, we perform numerical analysis on hypothetical test problems to study the efficient selection of boundary sites.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Lakmali Weerasena for her original ideas and diligent guidance throughout the development of this project. I would also like to thank Dr. Sumith Gunasekera and Dr. Aniekan Ebiefung for their participation on my committee for this thesis. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude for the entire Mathematics Department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for affording me the opportunity grow as a student by writing this thesis.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2020

Subject

Protected areas--Design; Protected areas--Management; Protected areas--Mathematical models

Keyword

reserve design; reserve planning

Discipline

Mathematics | Natural Resources and Conservation

Document Type

Theses

Extent

32 leaves.

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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