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There is a strong need to map the relative importance of areas for nature conservation both inside and outside reserves, given increasing development pressures and ongoing threats to biodiversity. Nature conservation importance has typically been established using iterative or optimising systems which select areas to achieve explicit targets. Irreplaceability has been a concept used in many of these analyses. We calculated rarity-weighted richness values (irreplaceability scores) from reliable distributional data for all vascular plant species of conservation importance in one square kilometre grid cells covering the State of Tasmania, Australia. The spatial patterns of scores on the irreplaceability index were not strongly related to data collection intensity. Thus, our scores were reliable for most parts of the State, irrespective of survey effort, except where there were no or little survey data. Irreplaceability scores were high in places with concentrations of local endemics, on mountains with persistent snow cover, along the northern part of the coast and on the Bass Strait islands.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	threatened plant species, irreplaceability, planning, plant species conservation, rarity-weighted richness, Tasmania
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Terrestrial ecology
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Other environmental management
Objective Field:	Other environmental management not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Kirkpatrick, JB (Professor James Kirkpatrick)
UTAS Author:	Gilfedder, L (Ms Louise Gilfedder)
ID Code:	123098
Year Published:	2017
Deposited By:	Geography and Spatial Science
Deposited On:	2017-12-15
Last Modified:	2018-08-29
Downloads:	99 View Download Statistics