Linking cost efficiency evaluation with population viability analysis to prioritize wetland bird conservation actions

Abstract

Prioritizing management actions for wildlife conservation is a difficult task due to the large number of problems relative to available conservation resources and uncertainty about the benefits arising from numerous potential management actions. In this study we use a cost-efficiency protocol to evaluate and prioritize eight different management actions for waterbird community in wetlands throughout southeastern Spain. The protocol generated an action priority ranking based on the costs and predicted benefits of the actions in terms of waterbird carrying capacity. Action prioritization outcomes were also evaluated using population viability analysis models for two of the study species. Removal of dead bird carcasses to prevent disease outbreaks was identified as the most cost efficient action. Removing lead pel- lets from the sediment was the least efficient strategy. Our approach highlights the role of detailed risk assessment as a form of quality control on the simpler prioritization protocols. We recommend a two- step prioritization protocol based on (i) a rapid, usually simpler prioritization approach for the bulk of species or values being managed, and (ii) a more sophisticated risk assessment for a subset of the species of interest for which detailed risk assessments are tractable. This process strikes a balance between sophistication and practicality.