Function-based habitat design method

A function-based habitat design method which comprises:

• the following combination of designing steps, performed using animal decision units and the fact that these are structural subunits of a mappable terrain feature type as scale-related design criteria, an animal decision unit being a mappable unit, defining a small discreet space, comprising a feature with a functional content that can prompt an animal action related to an animal obtaining a life requisite or satisfying a related need, according to knowledge based on an in-depth study of the decision-making process performed by animals in their acceptance of portions of a terrain as part of their habitat, habitat being defined as requiring all four of feeding, breeding, nesting and resting opportunities to be present, suitably juxtaposed in time and space for all life stages and for both sexes, operating at or above minimum viable population levels:
• 1. As a first step preparing an “as is” assessment of a given terrain in terms of:
• 1.1 using potential components of the terrain and its existing state, including topography, vegetation cover types, or potential therefor, geographic features, soil types, rock types, habitat structures and existing infrastructure, if any.
• 1.2. Constructing a regional list plus local list of existing:
• 1.2.1 animal species;
• 1.2.1 vegetation species;
• as a basis for what follows;
• 2. As a second step, which may be contemporaneous with 1., reassessing the given terrain on the basis of 1. as regards its potential habitat design optimization for human enjoyment of nature experience and/or natural habitat restoration, with particular reference to the creation and/or upgrading of habitat conditions for sustaining desirable animal life in terms of the four functions of feeding, breeding, resting and nesting, involving the following:
• 2.1 Classifying animals for which the terrain can potentially provide viable habitats in terms of habitat guilds, a habitat guild being defined as a group of animals making a similar use of a similar resource and including all habitat resource elements which the particular animals of such habitat guild need for feeding, breeding, resting and nesting;
• 2.2 Selecting from the aforesaid habitat guilds a number of habitat guilds sufficient to represent in simplified form the animal species populations which the terrain in its optimized form can be made to sustain;
• 2.3 Mapping the terrain on a scale suitable to show aggregations of “decision unit types” on the basis of which animals make decisions in selecting a space to best satisfy the aforesaid four habitat functions;
• 3. Organizing animal species as set out in 2.1 into potential Design Animal Habitat Guilds in which each animal habitat guild is associated with/comprised of:
• A. A vegetation structural unit that is discernable and mappable by non-biological professionals and contains the design intent-related habitat functions of feeding, breeding, nesting, resting;
• B. The one animal guild habitat function best determining the design of optimal habitat for the Design Animal Habitat Guild(s);
• and further includes
• C. Continuing to add potential Design Animal Habitat Guilds until at least one exists for each listed combination of
• (i) vegetation structural unit listed in a Terrain Features Map and
• (ii) best habitat function determining the design of optimal habitat for the associated combination of animal species comprising the Design Animal Habitat Guild and the associated vegetation structural unit;
• selecting the Design Animal Habitat Guilds from the animal habitat guilds on the basis of optimal habitat design intent-based combinations of criteria as set out in C. above and
• 4. preparing on the basis of the aforegoing steps a set of instructions in any physical form enabling an implementer or implementation team to convert the terrain into an upgraded form incorporating habitat design features, determined in accordance with the aforegoing by performing specified procedures, including a procedure selected from the group consisting of installing habitat supplement(s) at identified locality/ies;
• planting determined plant species at identified locality/ies;
• distributing seed balls at identified locality/ies;
• introducing determined live animal species;
• establishing determined infrastructure at identified locality/ies;
• adding or modifying topographic features;
• facilitating rainfall retention;
• facilitating accumulation of organic matter;
• and combinations of a plurality of the aforegoing in a subsequent method of function-based habitat construction.

A function-based habitat design method which comprises the following combination of designing steps, performed using animal decision units and the fact that these are structural subunits of a mappable terrain feature type as scale-related design criteria, an animal decision unit being a mappable unit, defining a small discreet space, comprising a feature with a functional content that can prompt an animal action related to an animal obtaining a life requisite or satisfying a related need, according to knowledge based on an in-depth study of the decision-making process performed by animals in their acceptance of portions of a terrain as part of their habitat, habitat being defined as requiring all four of feeding, breeding, nesting and resting opportunities to be present, suitably juxtaposed in time and space for all life stages and for both sexes, operating at or above minimum viable population levels:

• 1. As a first step preparing an “as is” assessment of a given terrain in terms of:
• 1.1 using potential components of the terrain and its existing state, including topography, vegetation cover types, or potential therefor, geographic features, soil types, rock types, habitat structures and existing infrastructure, if any.
• 1.2.1 Constructing a regional list plus local list of:
• 1.2.1 animal species;
• 1.2.1 vegetation species.
• 2. As a second step, which may be contemporaneous with 1., reassessing the given terrain on the basis of 1. as regards its potential habitat design optimisation for human enjoyment of nature experience and/or natural habitat restoration, with particular reference to the creation and/or upgrading of habitat conditions for sustaining desirable animal life in terms of the four requirements of feeding, breeding, resting and nesting, involving the following:
• 2.1 Classifying animals for which the terrain can potentially provide viable habitats in terms of habitat guilds, a habitat guild being defined as a group of animals making a similar use of a similar resource and including all habitat resource elements which the particular animals of such habitat guild need for feeding, breeding, resting and nesting.
• 2.2 Selecting from the aforesaid habitat guilds a number of habitat guilds sufficient to represent in simplified form the animal species populations which the terrain in its optimised form can be made to sustain.
• 2.3 Mapping the terrain on a scale to show aggregations of “decision unit types” on the basis of which animals make decisions in selecting a space to best satisfy the aforesaid four habitat functions.
• 3. As a third step, preparing on the basis of 1 and 2 a set of instructions in any physical form for use by an implementer or implementation team to convert the terrain into an upgraded form incorporating the habitat design features of 2.