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| Resource allocation to multiple alternative conservation actions is a complex task. A common trade-off
occurs between protection of smaller, expensive, high-quality areas versus larger, cheaper, partially
degraded areas. We investigate optimal allocation into three actions in boreal forest: current standard
forest management rules, setting aside of mature stands, or setting aside of clear-cuts.We first estimated
how habitat availability for focal indicator species and economic returns from timber harvesting develop
through time as a function of forest type and action chosen. We then developed an optimal resource
allocation by accounting for budget size and habitat availability of indicator species in different forest
types. We also accounted for the perspective adopted towards sustainability, modeled via temporal
preference and economic and ecological time discounting. Controversially, we found that in boreal forest
set-aside followed by protection of clear-cuts can become a winning cost-effective strategy when accounting
for habitat requirements of multiple species, long planning horizon, and limited budget. It is
particularly effective when adopting a long-term sustainability perspective, and accounting for present
revenues from timber harvesting. The present analysis assesses the cost-effective conditions to allocate
resources into an inexpensive conservation strategy that nevertheless has potential to produce high
ecological values in the future. | |
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