Quantitative methods for defining percentage area targets for habitat types in conservation planning

The Earth’s resources are finite, therefore planning for their use requires the definition of broad goals and the formulation of operational targets derived from goals, that enable decisions to be made and success measured. The objective of this study was to review methods for the formulation of percentage conservation targets for the coverage of habitat types within a network of conservation areas. We reviewed the scope and data requirements of these methods and discussed the strengths and limitations of their application. We identified five groups of methods applicable to habitat types that define: (1) fixed percentage targets across all habitats based on species–area relationship, or habitat-specific targets based on (2) species–area relationship, (3) heuristic principles, (4) trade-off of target size with reserved area, or (5) spatially-explicit Population Viability Analysis (PVA) for selected species. No ideal method exists and two factors should guide the choice of a method: the type of biodiversity goal and data availability. Given the lack of perfect biodiversity data, we suggest the use of a composite target based on a combination of methods.