Transforming Conservation: A Practical Guide to Evidence and Decision Making - cover image

Copyright

William J. Sutherland

Published On

2022-12-06

ISBN

Paperback978-1-80064-856-2
Hardback978-1-80064-857-9
PDF978-1-80064-858-6
HTML978-1-80064-862-3
XML978-1-80064-861-6
EPUB978-1-80064-859-3
AZW3978-1-80064-860-9

Language

  • English

Print Length

428 pages (xvi+412)

Dimensions

Paperback178 x 30 x 254 mm(7" x 1.18" x 10")
Hardback178 x 33 x 254 mm(7" x 1.3" x 10")

Weight

Paperback1000g (35.27oz)
Hardback1222g (43.10oz)

Media

Illustrations45
Tables43

OCLC Number

1355379612

LCCN

2021385338

BIC

  • RNKC
  • RNKH
  • RND

BISAC

  • NAT010000
  • NAT011000
  • SCI026000
  • NAT000000
  • SCI000000

LCC

  • S944.5.D42

Keywords

  • conservation management
  • decision-making processes
  • use of evidence
  • use of resources
  • public support
  • political support
  • experts provide solutions

Transforming Conservation

A Practical Guide to Evidence and Decision Making

There are severe problems with the decision-making processes currently widely used, leading to ineffective use of evidence, faulty decisions, wasting of resources and the erosion of public and political support. In this book an international team of experts provide solutions.

The transformation suggested includes rethinking how evidence is assessed, combined, communicated and used in decision-making; using effective methods when asking experts to make judgements (i.e. avoiding just asking an expert or a group of experts!); using a structured process for making decisions that incorporate the evidence and having effective processes for learning from actions. In each case, the specific problem with decision making is described with a range of practical solutions.

Adopting this approach to decision-making requires societal change so detailed suggestions are made for transforming organisations, governments, businesses, funders and philanthropists. The practical suggestions include twelve downloadable checklists.

The vision of the authors is to transform conservation so it is more effective, more cost-efficient, learns from practice and is more attractive to funders. However, the lessons of this important book go well beyond conservation to decision-makers in any field.

Endorsements

Life on Earth today faces a plethora of challenges including pandemics, climate change, biodiversity loss, and the threat of outright collapse of food production systems. In his book Prof Bill Sutherland and colleagues point out the critical importance that decision making in conservation be made on the basis of evidence. They highlight the crisis of evidence leading to widespread poor decision making with the existence of >230 barriers to using scientific evidence for conservation management. There is also failure to use evidence even when is available due to conflicts of interest, rapid decision making, overconfidence and complacency. Like the fields of medicine and aviation, the authors point out that conservation policy and practice can be transformed through appropriate use of evidence. This can result in improved conservation outcomes, improved efficiencies, at reduced costs. A cultural shift is needed to transform the way decisions are made to ensure poor practice is avoided. The book presents how recognising the problem leads to creating a demand for evidence use, and processes for collating and assess evidence, which together can lead to transformative change. This is absolutely essential reading for conservation managers, planners, NGOs and practitioners.

Dr Antony Lynam

Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society and President, Society for Conservation Biology

Additional Resources

[document]List of Checklists(William J. Sutherland)
[video]Conservation Seminar 7th December 2022: Embedding evidence into conservation
  • Host - Dr Mike Maunder (CCI)
  • Tony Juniper (Natural England)
  • Professor Mark Burgman (Imperial College London)
  • Dr Nancy Ockendon (Endangered Landscape Programme)
  • Dr Nibedita Mukherjee (Brunel University)
  • Dr Dilys Roe International (Institute for Environment and Development)
  • Professor William Sutherland (University of Cambridge)

Contents

  • Thomas B. White
  • Tatsuya Amano
  • Philipp Boersch-Supan
  • Alec P. Christie
  • Robert Freckleton
  • Maud C. Quinzin
  • Ali Mohammad Rezaie
  • William J. Sutherland
  • Hiromi Yamashita
  • William J. Sutherland
  • Samantha H. Cheng
  • Alec P. Christie
  • Steven J. Cooke
  • Julia Koricheva
  • Nicola Randall
  • Rebecca K. Smith
  • Ruth Stewart
  • William J. Sutherland
  • Tatsuya Amano
  • Nicolas Boenisch
  • Samantha H. Cheng
  • Alec P. Christie
  • Hugh Charles Jonathan Godfray
  • Matthew J. Grainger
  • Angela R. McLean
  • William H. Morgan
  • Nancy Ockendon
  • Nicola Randall
  • Ullrika Sahlin
  • Thomas B. White
  • Bonnie C. Wintle
  • Nibedita Mukherjee
  • Victoria Hemming
  • Stefano Canessa
  • Marissa McBride
  • Marina Best
  • Robyn Irvine
  • Longji Bako
  • Geoffroy Citegetse
  • Alison Field
  • Dilys Roe
  • David Rose
  • Jonathan Spencer
  • Nafeesa Esmail
  • Rhys Green
  • Silviu O. Petrovan
  • Nick Salafsky
  • Nigel G. Taylor
  • Jeremy D. Wilson
  • Carly N. Cook
  • Mark Burgman
  • Libby Rumpff
  • Ann Thornton
  • Harriet Downey
  • Nicolas Boenisch
  • Des Browne
  • Yvonne Buckley
  • Gemma Cranston
  • Lynn V. Dicks
  • Jonathan Hughes
  • Charles Latrémouille
  • William H. Morgan
  • Matthew Muir
  • David O’Brien
  • Nancy Ockendon
  • Dilys Roe
  • Stefan Schindler
  • Tom Sheldon
  • Eleanor R. Tew
  • Nancy Ockendon
  • Marc W. Cadotte
  • Johanna Eklund
  • Paul J. Ferraro
  • Martin Fisher
  • Mark Hancock
  • Thomas A. Worthington
  • Winifred F. Frick
  • Steven J. Cooke
  • Iain Dickson
  • Hazel A. Jackson
  • Kaylene E. Keller
  • Angelita De la Luz
  • Danni Parks
  • Tom McPherson
  • Ashley T. Simkins
  • Iroro Tanshi
  • Des B.A. Thompson
  • Paul Tinsley-Marshall
  • Lindsay C. Young
  • Tatsuya Amano
  • Longji Bako
  • Marina Best
  • Nicolas Boenisch
  • Philipp Boersch-Supan
  • Des Browne
  • Yvonne Buckley
  • Mark Burgman
  • Marc W. Cadotte
  • Samantha H. Cheng
  • Stefano Canessa
  • Alec P. Christie
  • Geoffroy Citegetse
  • Carly N. Cook
  • Steven J. Cooke
  • Gemma Cranston
  • Lynn V. Dicks
  • Angelita De la Luz
  • Iain Dickson
  • Harriet Downey
  • Johanna Eklund
  • Nafeesa Esmail
  • Paul J. Ferraro
  • Alison Field
  • Martin Fisher
  • Robert Freckleton
  • Winifred F. Frick
  • Hugh Charles Jonathan Godfray
  • Matthew J. Grainger
  • Rhys Green
  • Mark Hancock
  • Victoria Hemming
  • Jonathan Hughes
  • Robyn Irvine
  • Hazel A. Jackson
  • Kaylene E. Keller
  • Julia Koricheva
  • Charles Latrémouille
  • Marissa McBride
  • Angela R. McLean
  • Tom McPherson
  • William H. Morgan
  • Matthew Muir
  • Nibedita Mukherjee
  • David O’Brien
  • Nancy Ockendon
  • Danni Parks
  • Silviu O. Petrovan
  • Maud C. Quinzin
  • Nicola Randall
  • Ali Mohammad Rezaie
  • Dilys Roe
  • David Rose
  • Libby Rumpff
  • Ullrika Sahlin
  • Nick Salafsky
  • Stefan Schindler
  • Tom Sheldon
  • Ashley T. Simkins
  • Rebecca K. Smith
  • Jonathan Spencer
  • William J. Sutherland
  • Iroro Tanshi
  • Nigel G. Taylor
  • Eleanor R. Tew
  • Des B.A. Thompson
  • Ann Thornton
  • Paul Tinsley-Marshall
  • Thomas B. White
  • Kate Willott
  • Jeremy D. Wilson
  • Bonnie C. Wintle
  • Thomas A. Worthington
  • Hiromi Yamashita
  • Lindsay C. Young
  • William J. Sutherland

Contributors

William J. Sutherland

(editor)
Miriam Rothschild Chair in Conservation Biology in the Department of Zoology at University of Cambridge