title: Multidimensional evaluation of managed relocation.
abstract: Managed relocation (MR) has rapidly emerged as a potential intervention strategy in the toolbox of biodiversity management under climate change. Previous authors have suggested that MR (also referred to as assisted colonization, assisted migration, or assisted translocation) could be a last-alternative option after interrogating a linear decision tree. We argue that numerous interacting and value-laden considerations demand a more inclusive strategy for evaluating MR. The pace of modern climate change demands decision making with imperfect information, and tools that elucidate this uncertainty and integrate scientific information and social values are urgently needed. We present a heuristic tool that incorporates both ecological and social criteria in a multidimensional decision-making framework. For visualization purposes, we collapse these criteria into 4 classes that can be depicted in graphical 2-D space. This framework offers a pragmatic approach for summarizing key dimensions of MR: capturing uncertainty in the evaluation criteria, creating transparency in the evaluation process, and recognizing the inherent tradeoffs that different stakeholders bring to evaluation of MR and its alternatives.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa. rich@sun.ac.za
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Jessica J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hellmann
authors.forename: Jason S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: McLachlan
authors.forename: Dov F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Sax
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: E Jean
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Camacho
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Root
authors.forename: Osvaldo E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Stephen H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ashe
authors.forename: Jamie Rappaport
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Regan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Early
authors.forename: Julie R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Etterson
authors.forename: E Dwight
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Fielder
authors.forename: Jacquelyn L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Ben A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Minteer
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polasky
authors.forename: Hugh D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Safford
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vellend
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D035501:Uncertainty