Multi-Criteria Decisionmaking Approach for Management Indicator Species Selection on the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

摘要

The management indicator species concept remains an appealing tool for land managers charged with monitoring and conserving complex biological diversity over large landscapes with limited available resources. However, selecting management indicator species that adequately represent the ecological composition, structure, and function of complex ecological systems is a daunting challenge. We used the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the best management indicator species (MIS) for three management objectives of the 364,225-ha Monongahela National Forest (MNF) in West Virginia. The criteria to our AHP analyses were sensitivity to management actions common on the MNF (sensitivity), monitoring efficacy and effectiveness (monitoring), species baseline information (documentation), and social, political, and economic importance (SPE). We compiled a set of alternative MIS, including current MNF MIS, for each objective based on a literature review of species-habitat relations in the Appalachian Mountain region. We used the AHP to determine local priorities, based on pair-wise comparisons for criteria and MIS alternatives. Among potential alternatives, total global priority scores for the ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and Virginia northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) contributed most to respective management objectives. We believe the AHP is an effective tool for MIS selection, particularly within complex Appalachian ecosystems, because it provides a formal structured decision procedure, has a strong theoretical foundation, accommodates incomplete ecological data, and offers transparency to the MIS decision making process.