Allocating resources for land protection using continuous optimization: an application to US biodiversity conservation

Spatial optimization approaches that were originally developed to help conservation organizations determine protection decisions over small spatial scales are now used to inform global or continental scale priority setting. However, the different decision contexts involved in large-scale resource allocation need to be considered. We present a continuous optimization approach in which a decision-maker allocates funding to regional offices. Local decision-makers then use these funds to implement habitat protection efforts with varying effectiveness when evaluated in terms of the funder's goals. We illustrate this continuous formulation by examining the relative priority that should be given to different counties in the coterminous United States (US) when acquiring land to establish new protected areas. If weighting all species equally, counties in the southwest US, where large areas can be bought cheaply, are priorities for protection. If focusing only on species of conservation concern, ...