This software can be used to help defining an optimal system of protected areas using ecological, social and economic criteria. Many researchers and practitioners are using it in combination with data obtained through the GBIF network to maximize the impact of reserves and protected areas around the world.
Marxan is freely available conservation planning software. It provides decision support to a range of conservation planning problems, including the design of new reserve systems, reporting on the performance of existing reserve systems, and developing multiple-use zoning plans for natural resource management.
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Ball, I.R., H.P. Possingham, and M. Watts. 2009. Marxan and relatives: Software for spatial conservation prioritisation. Chapter 14: Pages 185-195 in Spatial conservation prioritisation: Quantitative methods and computational tools. Eds Moilanen, A., K.A. Wilson, and H.P. Possingham. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.