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Multiple-Knapsack Optimization in Land Conservation: Results from the First Cost-effective Conservation Program in the United States.

Conservation groups often piece together their parcel selections by combining funds from multiple sources. When applying multiple-knapsack optimization, substantial increases in conservation benefits, acreage, and number of parcels preserved can be achieved. Specifically, we show that multiple-knaps...

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Published in:Land Economics Vol. 92; no. 1; pp. 117 - 131
Main Authors: Messer, Kent D., Kecinski, Maik, Xing Tang, Hirsch IV, Robert H.
Format: Article
Published: University of Wisconsin Press Feb2016
Subjects:
Cost effectiveness
Land management
Nature reserves
Knapsack problems
Mathematical optimization
United States economic policy
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:Conservation groups often piece together their parcel selections by combining funds from multiple sources. When applying multiple-knapsack optimization, substantial increases in conservation benefits, acreage, and number of parcels preserved can be achieved. Specifically, we show that multiple-knapsack optimization substantially outperforms benefit targeting, cost-effectiveness analysis, and sequential binary integer programming. This study uses data from the first known cost-effective land conservation program in the United States--in Baltimore County, Maryland--and shows that multiple- knapsack optimization can deliver additional benefits.