One of the major themes of geography is human and environment interaction. Human activities shape and influence the natural environment in numerous ways, and the effects of these activities vary across space and time. Conservation planning is concerned with the mitigation of human-induced habitat degradation and frequently involves spatial analysis of human impacts on natural ecosystems for the purpose of formulating conservation strategies. The goal of this thesis is to employ spatial analysis tools, namely Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial multiple criteria decision-making methods, to prioritize a network of potential conservation sites according to their relative conservation value. I compared state-managed roadsides within Leon County, Florida in terms of their relative suitability for ground-nesting bees in order to determine which roadsides would best meet the goals of pollinator conservation through the Florida Wildflower Program. Using GIS, in combination with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), I created a spatial model depicting nesting suitability for ground-nesting bees in Leon County according to relevant site characteristics. The analysis combined both quantitative information sources and qualitative judgements applied through the AHP weighting procedure, which determines the relative significance of different factors through pair-wise comparisons. This model provided a means of comparing the relative habitat suitability of all state-managed roadsides in the county for ground-nesting bees based on the chosen factors. The suitability model was validated through a statistical analysis involving presence/absence data for three genera of ground-nesting bees. The model was found to be significant for two of the three genera, indicating that the suitability values generated through the modelling process are meaningful. I conclude that the method employed for this analysis is effective in assessing the relative suitability of potential insect pollinator conservation sites and can aid in the process of determining the best locations to focus future conservation efforts. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 6, 2018. / AHP, conservation, GIS, habitat suitability, MCDA, native bees / Includes bibliographical references. / Xiaojun Yang, Professor Directing Thesis; Victor Mesev, Committee Member; Tingting Zhao, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_653396 |
| Contributors | Craig, Nicholas Arnold Palladino (author), Yang, Xiaojun, 1965- (professor directing thesis), Mesev, Victor (committee member), Zhao, Tingting (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (degree granting college), Department of Geography (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, master thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (97 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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