Linking landscape data with population viability analysis: Management options for the helmeted honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops cassidix

Habitats used by most species are becoming increasingly fragmented, requiring a metapopulation modelling approach to population viability analysis (PVA). Recognising habitat patchiness from an endangered species' point of view requires utilisation of spatial information on habitat suitability. Both of these requirements may be met by linking metapopulation modelling with landscape data using GIS technology. We present a PVA model that links spatial data directly to a metapopulation model for extinction risk assessment, viability analysis, reserve design and wildlife management. The use of the model is demonstrated by an application to the spatial dynamics of the helmeted honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops cassidix, an endangered bird species endemic to Victoria, Australia. We use spatial data, organised by a GIS, on the habitat requirements of the helmeted honeyeater to define the patch structure. We then combine this patch structure with demographic data to build a metapopulation model, and use the model to analyse the effectiveness of translocations as a conservation strategy for the helmeted honeyeater.