Focal-species approaches provide tractable frameworks for structuring site-based conservation, but explanations of how and why focal species are chosen are often lacking. This paper outlines the rationale and selection criteria for one such strategy: the “Landscape Species Approach.” We define five criteria for selecting landscape species (area requirements, heterogeneity, ecological function, vulnerability, and socioeconomic significance) and illustrate the process using data from two landscapes, the northwestern Bolivian Andes and northern Congo. Candidate species from each site were scored and suites of complementary landscape species were assembled. Like all focal-species approaches (and indeed all conservation planning), this [...]
