SCORES AND SCORE CLASSES FOR EVALUATION CRITERIA - A COMPARISON BASED ON THE COST OF RESERVING ALL NATURAL FEATURES

Scoring criteria used in conservation evaluation can be measured using interval or ratio values (scores) or ordinal values (score classes). The choice of either scores or score classes can markedly influence the efficiency of scoring criteria, i.e. the number or area of highest scoring sites required to represent all natural features, and therefore the likelihood of achieving a network of reserves which is fully representative. The effect on efficiency of choosing scores or score classes differs with the scoring criterion being used and with the data set from which the sites are drawn and is difficult to predict a priori.