How do I define the Minimum Representation Area for a SPOT conservation target list?
The Minimum Representation Area is a threshold of how small the conservation target’s element occurences need to be to be considered as part of the solution. An element occurrence that does not meet the Minimum Representation Area will not be considered in the solution. This can be seen as a measure or surrogate of viability. You can set the Minimum Representation Area based on your knowledge of the biology and habitat needs of a specific conservation target. For instance, if a conservation target needs at least 100 HA of habitat to live, the Minimum Representation Area should be set to 100 HA. Thus occurences of 50 HA, for instance, will not be included in the solution. Use this with care, as it may be the case that you may not have any element occurences that meet the Minimum Representation Area factor, here for instance you need to consider restoration strategies for instance, and SPOT can help you find these trends.
