User talk:Mcolgan01/sandbox

Ecological Triage

Ecological triage refers to the decision-making of ecological conservation and restoration using the concepts of medical triage. In medicine, the allocation of resources in an urgent situation is prioritized for those with the greatest need and those who would receive the greatest benefit. Similarly, the two parameters of ecological triage are the level of threat and the probability of recovery (Hobbs). Because there are limitations to resources such as time, money, and manpower, it is important to make decisions on which scenario require allocations of each. How do conservationists assess which species and/or ecosystem should receive priority? Ecological triage differentiates between areas with an attainable emergent need, ones who would benefit from preventative measures, and those that are beyond repair (Hobbs). There are many areas of uncertainty when assessing an ecosystem. Conservationists and scientists often have incomplete knowledge of population dynamics, impacts of external threats, and efficacy of different conservation tactics (McDonald-McMadden). It is important to incorporate these unknowns when assessing a population or ecosystem. One popular method for triaging is the utilization of the info-gap decision theory, which is composed of three main elements: - Mathematical process which asses performance as a result of management - Expectations of performance - A model describing uncertainty (Burgman, Lndemayer, Elith) The management model determines the number of management options, evaluates the existing subpopulations, estimates the management period, and assesses the impact of doing nothing. To evaluate performance, an extinction-investment curve is utilized. It evaluates data regarding the probability of species extinction without intervention, budget allocation, and budget required to halve probability of extinction. The uncertainty model examines the possible values which may render the extinction-investment curve incorrect. It looks at how the above factors may vary in dynamic situations and creates a function of uncertainty. Ecological triage is not simple, dichotomous decision making. It involves an array of complex factors including assumptions, mathematical calculations, and planning for uncertainties. By following the principles of triage, we are able to allow for the efficient allocation of conservation resources as conservationists and scientists continue to develop the best options for ecological conservation and preservation.

Hobbs, R. J. and Kristjanson, L. J. (2003), Triage: How do we prioritize health care for landscapes?. Ecological Management & Restoration, 4: S39–S45. doi: 10.1046/j.1442-8903.4.s.5.x Lindenmayer, D.B., Fischer, J., Felton, A. et. Al (2007), The complementarity of single-species and ecosystem-oriented research in conservation research. Oikos, 116(7), 1220-1226. doi: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2007.15683.x Bottrill, M. C., Joseph, L. N., Carwardine, J., Bode, M., Cook, C., Game, E. T., . . . Possingham, H. P. (2008). Is conservation triage just smart decision making? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 23(12), 649-654. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2008.07.00 McDonald-Madden, E., Baxter, P.W.J., Possingham, H.P. (2008). Making robust decisions for conservation with restricted money and knowledge. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46(6), 1630-1632. Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01553.x

Draft Feedback

Melanie, you have done a very good job researching your topic, and your writing and organization are very clear. The medical analogy that you make is also great. I do think you may need to have this draft in your Sandbox User Page rather than in your Sandbox Talk page to readily move it to Wikipedia - is it easy to move this work there? Also, I noticed that Grace gave you feedback via your User Talk page (not here).

The first suggestion I would give you is to use sub-headers for this article addition. What concise information do you want to be your Leader section, and what could be good sub-header titles for the main 2-3 topics you discuss in your article addition? Along similar lines, do cite your references not by writing the names of the authors like you might in a paper, but instead using numbers per Wikipedia format.

Also, are there any topics in your article addition that have their own Wikipedia pages? If so, it would be helpful if you could link these key terms to their respective Wikipedia page, in case the reader wants more information.

Last, adding an example of this process in action for a conservation problem would really help the reader to visualize how priorities might be determined in such a situation. This could perhaps be a sub-header, "Example". Rhirshorn (talk) 22:41, 20 November 2016 (UTC)