Conclusion

It is our belief that this study illustrates that the use of a GIS-based conservation model can dramatically enhance understandings of natural areas and ecological habitats.  The fulfilled purpose of this study was to develop a GIS-based conservation suitability map and to identify Alvar sites within that suitability map that have the highest value for Alvar conservation initiatives on Manitoulin Island.  By using a multi-criteria evaluation approach, this avenue for analysis seems to have particular advantages in comparison with more traditional conservation methods, which often overlook the overall landscape context and leave open the possibility to misdirect conservation funds.  

In general, the output products produced from the GIS in this project tend to reflect the patterns of desirable conservation sites identified in literature produced in other conservation studies and advocacy literature.  While all Alvar sites have been identified by the IACI as threatened areas attributed with varying degrees of importance according to their biological characteristics, our analysis has identified the areas which should receive focus and conservation priority based on the relative degree of anthropogenic risk they face, as well as the inherent geographic quality of each Alvar site.   Although it was very sparsely documented in literature concerning Alvar conservation on Manitoulin Island and did not come to light until the final stages of this study, the 1999 creation of the Quarry Bay Nature Reserve, a 266 hectare property along 18 kilometers of the islands southwestern coastline, in the location predicted to be the most optimum parcel  for conservation by our study serves as welcome validation for the results of this GIS model.  

It is our hope that this model may serve as a useful reference source and a tool with which to focus future Alvar conservation efforts.  As with any analysis, ground-truthing procedures should be employed to verify the relationship between this model and the actual extent, character and location of Alvar sites.

Acknowledgments