Title
The strategic landscape investment model: a tool for mapping optimal environmental expenditure
Abstract
This paper presents the strategic landscape investment model (SLIM). This tool can be used to map optimal landscape treatment patterns at regional scales. Developed for New South Wales (NSW) in Australia, SLIM aims to maximise an indexed measure of environmental benefit within a budget constraint. The attributes considered include salinity, water yield, nitrogen run-off, phosphorus run-off, stream sediment concentrations, soil erosion and carbon sequestration. The modelling is undertaken spatially with a roughly 1 km^2 grid covering NSW. With estimates of costs and benefits, maps of marginal environmental benefit per dollar expended can be constructed. These maps are used to define an optimal treatment pattern within the confines of a program budget. SLIM is demonstrated through an analysis of perennial pasture establishment on NSW grazing lands. It was found that the optimal treatment area is around 4% of the total treatable area, demonstrating the importance of careful investment targeting. Through sensitivity analysis it is found that the location of optimal landscape treatment patterns is relatively robust under numerous attribute weighting scenarios. The paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of SLIM considering how improved analytic capabilities could be added to future revisions.
Year
DOI
Venue
2005
10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.08.009
Environmental Modelling and Software
Keywords
Field
DocType
investment analysis,marginal environmental benefit,careful investment,budget constraint,landscape optimisation,environmental benefit,optimal environmental expenditure,strategic landscape investment model,nitrogen run-off,optimal treatment area,optimal treatment pattern,nsw grazing land,optimal landscape treatment pattern,soil erosion,costs and benefits,nitrogen,carbon sequestration,phosphorus,indexation,sensitivity analysis
Weighting,Budget constraint,Environmental resource management,Hydrology,Computer science,Cost–benefit analysis,Erosion,Strengths and weaknesses,Carbon sequestration,Liberian dollar,Grid
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
20
10
Environmental Modelling and Software
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
8
3.00
3
Authors
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Stefan Hajkowicz1475.77
Jean Michel Perraud283.00
Warrick Dawes383.00
Ronald DeRose483.00