Sustainable linear infrastructure route planning model to balance conservation and socioeconomic development

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2022-02-01

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Abstract

Linear infrastructures, such as roads, highways and railways, can bring significant social and economic benefits while posing great threats to local environment and biodiversity. Although processes such as Strategic Environmental Assessment have been increasingly applied during the route planning stage of major linear infrastructures to evaluate their potential impacts, the assessment of the spatial variations in these impacts is often missing. Thus, a spatial planning tool that balances both the costs and benefits for environmental and socioeconomic aspects is needed. Here we propose a Sustainable Linear Infrastructure Route Planning Model, which incorporates the spatial assessments of potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts using factors from six aspects, which are ecosystem importance, biodiversity conservation, environmental risks, economic costs, social costs, and socioeconomic benefits. The model allows users to set weights for different factors according to specific development priorities, then produces a weighted spatial resistance map, and identifies the optimized route through least-cost path analysis. We implemented this model through a case study of the Southern Expressway Extension project in Sri Lanka to test its validity. The results showed that the route choices from our model under three hypothetical scenarios (environmental, socioeconomic and balanced) all resulted in lower negative impacts compared to the current route. The proposed model can provide decision-makers an effective tool to improve the sustainability of roads, highways and railways in the age of rapid linear infrastructure expansion across the globe.

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10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109449

Publication Info

Wu, S, and BV Li (2022). Sustainable linear infrastructure route planning model to balance conservation and socioeconomic development. Biological Conservation, 266. pp. 109449–109449. 10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109449 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/30691.

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Li

Binbin Li

Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Duke Kunshan University

Dr. Binbin Li is the Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Environmental Research Center at Duke Kunshan University. She holds a secondary appointment with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. She focuses on the synergy between biodiversity conservation and sustainable development under climate change. She has produced more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in the last six years and published in top journals, including Science, Science Advances, PNAS, Current Biology, Lancet and Conservation Biology. Her work has been widely reported by major media including BBC, CNN, China Daily and others. She has served as PI for more than 10 projects in recent years and secured more than 8.5 million RMB in funding. Dr. Li has been awarded EC50 by Explorers Club, one of the world’s most inspiring explorers. She has received the Outstanding Young Talent by National Natural Science Foundation of China, one of the top talent awards in China to recognize her leading role in scholarship. She serves as the co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) WCPA-protected planet specialist group, and serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission, World Commission on Protected Areas and the Commission on Prevention of Viral Spillover convened by Lancet and PPATS. Dr. Li also serves on the advisory board of State Forestry and Grassland Administration and Giant Panda National Park. She is the editor-in-chief of Integrative Conservation and associate editor of Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution. She also serves on the editorial board of Conservation Biology, Global Ecology and Conservation, Biodiversity Science and National Parks. Dr. Li is engaged in science communication and nature education. She has been awarded nature photographer of the Year in the Chinese National Geography China Wildlife Image and Video Competition in 2022. She is the founder of the China Anti-bird Collision Action Alliance, the largest citizen science project in China. She is also the board director of SilverLining Conservation Center, which aims to increase the capacity of storytelling for conservation practitioners and to change public behaviors using media instruments.


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