CLUZ

CLUZ is an ArcView GIS interface that allows users to design protected area networks and conservation landscapes. It can be used for on-screen planning and also acts as a link for MARXAN conservation planning software.1

Description

Most protected area (PA) systems have been influenced by political, economic and aesthetic factors and under-represent many elements of biodiversity. Moreover, most PAs are too small to adequately conserve populations of wide-ranging species and important ecological processes. At the same time, many people partly rely on natural resources for their survival and so the unplanned creation or expansion of PAs can cause problems. 2

Therefore, there is a general need to develop conservation landscapes that allow the maintenance of biodiversity whilst minimising impacts on the livelihoods of local people (Driver et al, 2003). The best way of achieving this is to use systematic conservation planning techniques, as these allow stakeholders to develop land-use plans in a transparent manner by going through the following steps:3

• Compile data on the biodiversity of the planning region
• Identify conservation goals for the planning region
• Review existing conservation areas
• Select additional conservation areas
• Implement conservation actions
• Maintain the required values of conservation areas

CLUZ is an ArcView GIS extension that consists of the CLUZ menu, which contains 25 items, as well as 6 buttons and 2 tools. Each of these elements carries out a different function.4

CLUZ is currently being developed at DICE at the University of Kent and is funded by the British Government through their Darwin Initiative for the Survival of Species.5

Function

• Analysis tools
  • Complex
• User interface
  • Personal
  • Visual presentation

Why use this tool?

• For reserve planning.
• To be able to present MARXAN data in a form directly suitable for GIS

Who will use this tool?

• Data users
  • Expert

How will the tool be used?

What is the difference between CLUZ and MARXAN?

CLUZ consists of two parts. The first part acts as an ArcView GIS interface for the MARXAN conservation planning software and the second allows on-screen conservation planning. The interface for MARXAN is designed to be easily understood by beginners and does not give all of the possible MARXAN options. Specifically, it uses default values for some of the cost functions, it assumes that all of the conservation feature targets should be fully met and it does not allow the use of more specialist planning algorithms.6

People who are interested in using the more specialised functionality of MARXAN can still use CLUZ to import, display and export the relevant data but should run MARXAN independently, using its Input File Editor software to set the more specialised parameters.7

• Desktop application
• User input is required

Where in the data chain could this tool be used?

• User’s machine

When could this tool be used?

• As a post process, after data is with the user

Availability

CLUZ is an ArcView GIS extension that partly acts as an interface for the MARXAN conservation planning software. This means that you will need to have all three items installed on your computer before you can run CLUZ.8

• CLUZ: http://www.mosaic-conservation.org/cluz/
• Download CLUZ: http://www.mosaic-conservation.org/cluz/download.html
• MARXAN: http://www.ecology.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=27710
• ArcView GIS available from ESRI: http://www.esri.com/
• CLUZ tutorial: http://www.mosaic-conservation.org/cluz/tutorial.html
• FAQ: http://www.mosaic-conservation.org/cluz/faq.html
• Version 1.7,  December 2007
• Cost: Free. Public domain. May be freely used and redistributed
• No technical support.

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