SUMMARY

A LEFT analysis aims to systematically assess the ecological value of parcels of land across a landscape roughly the size of a resource concession. The analysis is provided as a preliminary step in estimating the potential ecological impact, or footprint, of proposed development. The analysis provides maps for the following derived measures of ecological value: 1) biodiversity, 2) vulnerability, 3) fragmentation, 4) connectivity, and 5) resilience. The final result of the analysis is a summary map of these measures where the values for each derived measure have been standardised across the study site to the interval [0, 1] and then summed. The summation provides an overall measure of relative ecological value across the study area. The summary ecological value map is the highlight result of the LEFT analysis and is shown in Figure 11. All analyses and output maps are produced at a resolution of 1/360 (0.0028) degrees, or approximately 300 m. STUDY SITE The study area for this LEFT analysis consists of an inner zone, 128.28 km east-west by 108.85 km north-south. This inner zone is nested within an outer zone which has a 300 km wide border that is added automaticall