Efficiency in conservation evaluation: Scoring versus iterative approaches

Scoring and iterative approaches to wildlife conservation evaluation were compared in terms of their contribution to the conservation of all natural environments or species. This contribution was termed efficiency and was calculated from the number or area of highest scoring sites or the number or area of all sites selected by iterative analyses required to represent all natural environments or species a specified number of times. Efficiency of sampling in reserves is an important consideration in conservation planning if reserve systems are to become fully representative before the options for protection are exhausted. Scoring criteria varied greatly in their efficiencies but were consistently less efficient than the iterative analyses.