Managed relocation (MR) has rapidly emerged as a potential intervention strategy in the toolbox of biodiversity management under climate change. Previous papers have suggested that MR (also referred to as assisted colonization, assisted migration, or assisted translocation) could emerge as a last-alternative option after interrogating a linear decision tree. We argue that numerous interacting and value-laden considerations demand a more inclusive strategy for evaluating MR. The pace of modern climate change demands decision making with imperfect information, and tools that elucidate this uncertainty and integrate scientific information and social values are urgently needed. This presentation discusses the development of a heuristic tool that incorporates both ecological and social criteria in a multi-dimensional decision-making framework. For visualization purposes, these criteria are collapsed into four classes that can be depicted in graphical 2-D space.
Results/Conclusions The framework offers a pragmatic approach for summarizing key dimensions of MR: capturing uncertainty in the evaluation criteria, creating transparency in the evaluation process, and recognizing the inherent tradeoffs that different stakeholders bring to evaluation of MR and its alternatives. Its utility is discussed with reference to four case studies: the Bay checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis - threatened by climate change and habitat destruction) ; Torreya taxifolia, an endangered tree with a small endemic range in northern
