Integrating GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Conservation Modeling in the Southern Appalachians

Abstract

This research supports the National Parks Conservation Association’s (NPCA) large landscape initiative by identifying conservation opportunities beyond U.S. national park boundaries, focusing on the Southern Appalachian region. This landscape is renowned as a biodiversity hotspot and is experiencing increasing urban development pressures. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), this project identifies vulnerable freshwater ecosystems and resilient freshwater and terrestrial habitats. A species distribution model for the Eastern hellbender was developed using the maximum entropy approach (MaxEnt). This machine learning model supports conservation prioritization of the species’ preferred habitat. The final output is an interactive ArcGIS Online toolkit that integrates spatial data, suitability models, and species distribution maps to identify conservation hotspots and empower conservation planning.