Foreword
Acknowledgements
List of Contributors
1. Experts, expert knowledge, and their roles in landscape ecological applications
Ajith H. Perera, C. Ashton Drew, and Chris J. Johnson
2. What is expert knowledge, how is such knowledge gathered, and how do we use it to address questions in landscape ecology?
Marissa F. McBride and Mark A. Burgman
3. Elicitator: a user-friendly, interactive tool to support scenario-based elicitation of expert knowledge
Samantha Low-Choy, Allan James, Justine Murray, and Kerrie Mengersen
4. Eliciting expert knowledge of forest succession using an innovative software tool
Michael Drescher, Lisa J. Buse, Ajith H. Perera, and Marc R. Ouellette
5. Expert knowledge as a foundation for the management of secretive species and their habitatC. Ashton Drew and Jaime A. Collazo
6. Incorporating expert knowledge in decision-support models for avian conservation
Allison T. Moody and James B. Grand
7. An expert-based modeling approach to inform strategic and operational land management decisions for the recovery of woodland caribou
R. Scott McNay
8. Using expert knowledge effectively: lessons from species distribution models for wildlife conservation and management
Chris J. Johnson, Michael Hurley, Eric Rapaport, and Michael Pullinger
9. Exploring expert knowledge of forest succession: an assessment of uncertainty and a comparison with empirical data
Michael Drescher and Ajith H. Perera
10. Assessing knowledge ambiguity in the creation of a model based on expert knowledge and comparison with the results of a landscape succession model in central Labrador
Frédérik Doyon, Brian R. Sturtevant, Michael Papaik, Andrew Fall, Brian Miranda, Dan Kneeshaw, Christian Messier, Marie-Josée Fortin, and Patrick James
11. Use of expert knowledge to develop fuel maps for wildland fire management
Robert E. Keane and Matt Reeves
12. Using Bayesian mixture models that combine expert knowledge and GIS data to define ecoregions
Kristen J. Williams, Samantha J. Low-Choy, Wayne Rochester, and Clair Alston
13. Eliciting expert knowledge of ecosystem vulnerability to human stressors to support comprehensive ocean management
Carrie V. Kappel, Benjamin S. Halpern, Kimberly A. Selkoe, and Roger M. Cooke
14. Elicitation and use of expert knowledge in landscape ecological applications: a synthesis
Chris J. Johnson, C. Ashton Drew, and Ajith H. Perera
Index
About the Author: It is not uncommon for landscape ecologists to rely on advice and input of experienced professionals, albeit informally, in conducting research and devising solutions for applied problems in conservation and management.
Given the wealth of expert knowledge available and the risks of its ad-hoc and implicit application in landscape ecology, it is essential to formalize the use of expert knowledge and establish rigor in methodology.
In this context, Expert Knowledge and Its Application in Landscape Ecology explores several questions: who are experts; what is expert knowledge; and how is it elicited, characterized, and applied. It contains:
- An introduction to the concept of experts and expert knowledge for landscape ecologists
- A series of research studies on methods of expert knowledge capture and applications in conservation biology, wildlife ecology, forest succession, wildland fire, ecoregionalization, and marine ecosystems; from Australia, Canada, and USA
- A synthesis of the state of knowledge on expert knowledge in landscape ecology, with a review of the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating expert knowledge in landscape ecological applications.
The book is written for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners in landscape ecology, focusing on conservation and management of terrestrial and marine resources.
About the Editors:
Ajith H. Perera is Senior Research Scientist in the Forest Landscape Ecology Program at the Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
C. Ashton Drew is Research Associate in the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, North Carolina State University.
Chris J. Johnston is Associate Professor in the Ecosystem Science Management Program at the University of Northern British Columbia.
