METAPOPULATION PERSISTENCE IN A DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE: MORE HABITAT OR BETTER STEWARDSHIP?

The article outlines study conducted by Joshua V. Ross on the significance of metapopulation persistence to a dynamic landscape in the U.S. Conservation biologists and ecologists are interested in finding an optimal way in managing and conserving such metapopulations. Researchers found that the optimal strategy for maximizing metapopulation viability with a given fixed budget and costs depend upon on all the parameter values and costs associated with the species under consideration. They found that the optimal strategy in addressing the problem was to protect patches when landscape dynamics dominate metapopulations thar are strongly influenced by the dynamics of the landscape they inhabit including the greater bilby.