Systematic conservation planning: an updated protocol

Integrative habitat management requires adaptive management of landscapes and seascapes for productivity (including farming
and mining), nature protection, and (human) habitation and recreation. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is a framework
that has been developed during the last decade for a structured approached to prioritizing and managing habitats deemed
important for the protection of natural values. Drawing on protocols developed by several groups during the last decade, this
paper presents an updated protocol for SCP. The new protocol emphasizes the interactions between components and revision
and reiteration of planning stages due to feedback between the components. It also explicitly notes the cultural values and
normative assumptions that are built into this framework and emphasizes that adequate planning processes must address the
ethical issues that are raised. The paper concludes by noting some of the lacunae of this protocol and difficulties that will be
encountered in future extensions to satisfy all goals of integrative habitat management.