New Method of Estimating Biodiversity Based on Tree Cover
Phys.org (October 25, 2016)

Researchers at Stanford, through extensive observations, mapping and analysis, have now generated a method of estimating biodiversity based on tree cover. The results can be used by policymakers to help protect biodiversity and endangered species.

"We've created a framework for counting something previously uncountable," said Chase D. Mendenhall, a postdoctoral research fellow in biology at Stanford. Mendenhall is a lead author in a new study, to be published Oct. 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that has created a quantitative measure of biodiversity across agricultural and urban landscapes.