Land market feedback from land acquisition influences the prioritization of protected area networks.

Abstract

Conservation organizations face budget constraints and must prioritize land acquisitions carefully. Market responses to conservation actions can shift land prices and relocate development. We examine how variations in local land markets affect decisions about where to protect land. Using a protected area prioritization framework, we evaluated how spatial differences in market feedback influence the conservation return-on-investment (ROI) of acquisitions and the optimal distribution of acquisition budgets. Using simulations and parameters for southern Appalachian forests, we find that areas with elastic demand and inelastic supply yield higher conservation ROI. Our results indicate that failing to account for local market feedback can reduce conservation effectiveness, incurring opportunity costs of 7%. Only 49% of the optimal budget allocation matched when local feedback was considered versus not. These findings stress the importance of incorporating spatial market data into protected area planning to maximize ecological returns.