Training
Upcoming Training
Advanced Systematic Conservation Planning with Marxan with Zones and Connectivity
By popular request for more focus on the trickier aspects of spatial planning for our oceans, lands, and freshwater systems, Jennifer McGowan is running two Advanced Spatial Planning Trainings.
Want to understand the foundational and advanced theory of systematic conservation planning with one of the world's most widely used decision-support tools?
Join us April 14th at 9am PST. More information and registration here.
In this 3-hour online short-course we will cover:
Session 1: Operationalizing Connectivity in spatial prioritization (1.5 hours)
Fundamentals of Spatial Planning with Marxan
Overview of concepts and database structure
Operationalizing connectivity data- key considerations
Five ways to bring connectivity data into optimization approaches
Session 2: Zoning (1.5 hours)
Concepts and technical understanding of Marxan with Zones database structure
Case-studies and take-home activity.
While previous experience with Marxan or spatial prioritization tools is encouraged for the best learning outcomes, it is not a prerequisite to enroll in this class.
Learning Library
Complex natural resource management problems can have millions of potential solutions - how do you choose one that meets all of your goals?
The field of Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP) evolved to answer these types of questions. In this learn library you will find lessons that span basic to advanced SCP concepts, and some concepts that are specific to running a Marxan analysis. We also point you towards places where you can find more information. If there is a SCP or Marxan concept that you would like to learn about but can’t find in our library – let us know marxancloud@gmail.com.
Resources
To download Marxan manuals and tutorials for free please head to our Software page.
Conservation Planning Exercise
Marxan is designed to solve the minimum set problem - selecting areas to meet targets with the lowest possible cost. Below is a simple exercise to help you understand this process.
Instructions
Below is a hypothetical planning area made up of 100 planning units. Each planning unit contains values for three features and also tells us how much the unit costs to conserve it. Click on the planning units below to select or deselect the unit. The goal is to select squares that total to meet the target values with lowest possible cost. When you meet your targets you can compare your results against Marxan's results.
Try the activity with and without consideration of spatial compactness and see how your scores, costs and boundaries compare. Thank you to Trevor Wiens from Apropos Information Systems for making this activity available.
0 0 0 $347 |
0 0 0 $52 |
0 0 1 $985 |
0 0 0 $207 |
89 0 12 $276 |
30 48 0 $821 |
69 4 9 $122 |
0 0 0 $404 |
0 0 0 $300 |
0 0 91 $681 |
0 0 0 $813 |
0 0 0 $537 |
0 0 0 $931 |
0 0 0 $653 |
71 43 12 $919 |
99 0 1 $826 |
0 0 0 $455 |
17 0 0 $983 |
0 0 35 $731 |
31 0 0 $875 |
0 0 0 $247 |
55 40 0 $462 |
0 0 0 $287 |
0 2 27 $988 |
70 0 0 $85 |
37 0 56 $736 |
0 0 0 $681 |
0 0 33 $479 |
0 41 0 $459 |
54 0 0 $615 |
0 0 0 $378 |
80 8 0 $986 |
0 47 0 $887 |
0 0 0 $392 |
0 78 0 $526 |
0 0 87 $783 |
66 0 38 $224 |
0 0 0 $149 |
0 0 0 $268 |
0 91 0 $90 |
0 0 0 $977 |
0 0 73 $74 |
0 60 0 $53 |
25 79 0 $390 |
0 0 0 $619 |
11 0 8 $773 |
0 0 0 $952 |
0 0 0 $738 |
0 0 0 $897 |
0 0 53 $580 |
76 34 0 $969 |
0 90 0 $76 |
0 84 0 $147 |
0 0 82 $870 |
0 72 26 $350 |
0 0 0 $543 |
0 0 21 $607 |
58 0 0 $375 |
0 0 0 $903 |
0 54 59 $790 |
75 0 60 $729 |
0 0 0 $492 |
0 0 0 $303 |
0 0 0 $289 |
0 0 0 $490 |
0 0 0 $599 |
91 0 0 $407 |
0 0 57 $651 |
0 42 97 $709 |
0 0 7 $365 |
0 0 0 $571 |
0 37 0 $931 |
0 0 0 $353 |
0 0 0 $64 |
0 0 0 $955 |
0 0 0 $950 |
0 0 0 $855 |
0 23 0 $886 |
0 41 0 $840 |
81 0 37 $598 |
0 0 12 $422 |
0 0 0 $252 |
0 0 0 $941 |
0 53 24 $152 |
0 72 0 $353 |
0 93 0 $123 |
0 0 0 $716 |
0 23 59 $587 |
0 0 0 $346 |
0 0 0 $318 |
0 0 0 $682 |
11 0 0 $891 |
0 14 50 $815 |
0 0 0 $818 |
0 0 88 $726 |
0 0 0 $372 |
0 0 0 $197 |
48 0 0 $89 |
0 0 0 $417 |
0 76 0 $975 |
| Features | Target | Current | Shortfall | |
| A | 267.4 | 0 | 267.4 | |
| B | 251.2 | 0 | 251.2 | |
| C | 243.0 | 0 | 243 |
| Cost: | 0 | |
| Boundary: | + | 0 |
| Shortfall Penalty: | + | 761.6 |
| Your Marxan Score: | = | 761.6 |
Marxan Results:
This exercise is produced here with the permission and support of:
