@article {776,
	title = {Siting solar energy development to minimize biological impacts},
	journal = {Renewable Energy},
	volume = {57},
	year = {2013},
	chapter = {289},
	abstract = {<p>After solar and other renewable energy developers select generally suitable sites for exploration, they frequently encounter conflict over biodiversity conservation values that were not factored into the initial suitability rating methods. This paper presents a spatial multicriteria analysis method for modeling risk of conflict with biological resources and applies the model in the California deserts where such conflicts are rapidly rising. The premise of the model is that the least conflict will occur on sites that are the most ecologically degraded with low conservation value and that would engender low offsite impacts when connecting to existing transmission infrastructure. Model results suggest sufficient compatible land exists in flat, non-urban areas to meet state solar energy targets of 18-26 GW of installed capacity in the California deserts for 2050. The model is a promising tool to fill the gap between site suitability analysis for renewable energy and regional biodiversity conservation planning to identify areas where rapid impact assessment and permitting will generate the least regrets.</p>
},
	keywords = {ecological condition, GIS, mitigation hierarchy, multicriteria analysis, siting criteria, utility-scale solar energy},
	author = {Stoms, D. M. and Dashiell, S. L. and Davis, F. W.}
}
@article {716,
	title = {Prioritizing farmland preservation cost-effectively for multiple objectives},
	journal = {Journal of Soil and Water Conservation},
	volume = {61},
	year = {2006},
	month = {2006},
	pages = {250-258},
	abstract = {American society derives many benefits from farmland and is often willing to pay to preserve it from urbanization. We present an innovative framework to support farmland preservation programs in prioritizing conservation investments. The framework considers the full range of social benefits of farmland and improves the application of decision analysis methods to the process. Key factors for ranking farms are: 1) social objectives and priorities 2) how much farmland value is expected to be lost to development if not preserved, 3) how much farmland value is already secured in the agricultural region; and 4) how much it will cost to secure the farm{\textquoteright}s benefits. The framework can be applied strategically over an entire region or to rank a set of applications from landowners. We demonstrate our framework using three criteria in the Bay Area/Delta bioregion of California, USA.},
	keywords = {amenities, Bay Delta bioregion, California Legacy Project, conservation planning, cost-effectiveness, decision analysis, ecosystem services, farmland preservation, GIS, marginal value, public preferences, social welfare, urban growth boundary, urban growth management, utility},
	url = {<Go to ISI>://000242001800007},
	author = {Machado, E. A. and Stoms, D. M. and Davis, F. W. and Kreitler, J.}
}
@inbook {633,
	title = {A framework for setting land conservation priorities in the Sierra Nevada},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium},
	volume = {General Technical Report PSW-GTR-193},
	year = {2004},
	note = {presented at Sierra Nevada Science Symposium 2002 October 7-10; Kings Beach, CA.},
	month = {2004},
	pages = {195-206},
	publisher = {Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture},
	organization = {Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture},
	address = {Albany, CA},
	abstract = {The California Legacy Project (CLP) mission is "to enable the State and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California{\textquoteright}s lands and natural resources." Here we provide a brief overview of a framework that we developed to serve the dual purpose of helping decision makers to evaluate current opportunities (e.g., current proposal applications for State conservation funds) and to help planners develop longer term conservation strategies that highlight general areas, species and communities for more focused analysis and collaborative planning. Site prioritization depends on the resources the site contains, the threat to those resources, and the conservation cost of mitigating that threat. We illustrate our framework using relatively coarse, readily available data for the Sierra Nevada Bioregion. Preliminary results suggest that many of the private lands of the region contribute important conservation value for terrestrial biodiversity. However, inter-site disparities in degree of threat and in conservation costs make the conservation "bang for buck" especially high in a smaller number of sites.},
	keywords = {California Legacy Project, conservation planning, decision support system, GIS, marginal value, prioritization},
	url = {http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr193/psw_gtr193_5_4_Davis_and_others.pdf},
	author = {Davis, F. W. and Costello, C. J. and Stoms, D. M. and Machado, E. A. and Metz, J.},
	editor = {Murphy, Dennis D. and Stine, Peter A.}
}
@article {715,
	title = {A systematic framework for prioritizing farmland preservation},
	year = {2003},
	month = {2003},
	pages = {52},
	institution = {National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis},
	address = {Santa Barbara},
	abstract = {The California Legacy Project (CLP) mission is "to enable the state and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California{\textquoteright}s lands and natural resources." In 2001 The Resources Agency of California contracted with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UC Santa Barbara to convene a working group to help bring systematic conservation planning theory and methods to bear on the design and implementation of CLP. The conservation planning framework for farmland described in this report for is one of the products from that working group. The framework is intended to serve the dual purpose of helping decision makers to evaluate current opportunities (e.g., current proposal applications for State conservation funds) and to help planners develop longer term conservation strategies that highlight areas for more focused analysis and collaborative planning. We do not present a plan or "blueprint" for future conservation activities. Instead, we offer an analytical, data-driven planning process that could be applied to ongoing conservation assessments and evaluations by State conservation planning staff and collaborating organizations over the State or regions of the State. We organize the planning framework based on a hierarchy of conservation goals and objectives, each of which is further elaborated in terms of specific objectives, criteria, and sources of evidence. For farmland preservation, we summarize these goals as retaining farmlands: 1) with the greatest sustained production capacity, 2) that provide high amenity values (e.g., habitat, open space, floodplain management, and scenic values), and 3) whose location reduces the risk of urban sprawl. The framework applies GIS technology to map farmland conservation value and investment priorities based on available spatial data, derived indices and simple algebraic functions. A planning region is divided into sites, and each site is scored in terms of its marginal conservation value, that is, the incremental value added to the current system of conservation lands by making the next conservation investment in that site. Site prioritization depends on the farmland resources the site contains, the threat to those resources, and the conservation cost of mitigating that threat. The strategic objective is to allocate conservation funds among a set of candidate sites such that there is the greatest possible farmland value remaining at the end of the planning period. We demonstrate the framework for preservation of farmlands in the Bay Area/Delta Bioregion. Because the criteria for measuring objectives 2 and 3 require spatial and nonspatial data that are not readily available statewide or even for a bioregion, we only develop and demonstrate the framework for objective 1. Existing data are used to map resource values and threats to arrive at maps of marginal conservation value without consideration of site cost. We use a crude estimate of the cost of conservation easements to demonstrate how the framework could then be used to prioritize conservation investments subject to a fixed budget.},
	keywords = {Bay Delta bioregion, California Legacy Project, conservation planning, cost-effectiveness, farmland preservation, GIS, marginal value},
	url = {http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/nceas-web/projects/4040/Farmland_framework_report.pdf},
	author = {Machado, E. A. and Stoms, D. M. and Davis, F. W.}
}
