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Ayambire RA, Rytwinski T, Taylor JJ, Luizza MW, Muir MJ, Cadet C, Armitage D, Bennett NJ, Brooks J, Cheng SH, Martinez J, Nagendran M, Öckerman S, Rivera SN, Savage A, Wilkie DS, Cooke SJ, Bennett JR. Challenges in assessing the effects of environmental governance systems on conservation outcomes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2025; 39:e14392. [PMID: 39417601 PMCID: PMC11780196 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 10/19/2024]
Abstract
Effective governance is crucial for the success of conservation projects aimed at protecting wildlife populations and supporting human well-being. However, few large-scale, comprehensive syntheses have been conducted on the effects of different environmental governance types on conservation outcomes (i.e., biological and ecological effectiveness or effects of conservation on human well-being), and clarity on the quantity and quality of evidence remains dispersed and ambiguous. We attempted a systematic map of the evidence on the effectiveness of different governance types to meet desired conservation outcomes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. However, early in this effort, we observed a general lack of empirical research on the links between governance and conservation outcomes. To fill observed data gaps in the evidence base, we tried triangulating governance data from alternative sources (Protected Planet database) and pooling evidence from research conducted within the same conservation areas. Limited data were contained in the Protected Planet database, and governance types in conservation areas and landscapes were complex, making it difficult to use these approaches to assign governance types to conservation areas. To illustrate our observations from the failed systematic map attempt, we prepared a rapid evidence map that outlines a subset of the evidence base of articles linking governance types and governance principles with conservation outcomes. Only 3.2% (34 of 1067) of the articles we screened directly related conservation outcomes to governance type, and even fewer related governance principles to conservation outcomes. Based on our findings, we recommend improving the evidence base by supporting empirical research and increasing the availability and quality of governance data in freely accessible databases. These recommendations are critical for enhancing understanding of the role of governance in conservation projects and improving conservation outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael A. Ayambire
- Department of City PlanningUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
- Canadian Centre for Evidence‐Based Conservation, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary ScienceCarleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Trina Rytwinski
- Canadian Centre for Evidence‐Based Conservation, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary ScienceCarleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Jessica J. Taylor
- Canadian Centre for Evidence‐Based Conservation, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary ScienceCarleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Matthew W. Luizza
- International AffairsUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceFalls ChurchVirginiaUSA
| | - Matthew J. Muir
- International AffairsUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceFalls ChurchVirginiaUSA
| | - Cynthia Cadet
- Canadian Centre for Evidence‐Based Conservation, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary ScienceCarleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Derek Armitage
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, Faculty of EnvironmentUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Nathan J. Bennett
- Global ScienceWorld Wildlife FundWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- People and the Ocean Specialist Group, Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social PolicyInternational Union for the Conservation of NatureGlandSwitzerland
- Institute for the Oceans and FisheriesThe University of British Columbia, AERLVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Jeremy Brooks
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesOhio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | | | - Jenny Martinez
- International AffairsUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceFalls ChurchVirginiaUSA
| | | | - Siri Öckerman
- Canadian Centre for Evidence‐Based Conservation, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary ScienceCarleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Shannon N. Rivera
- International AffairsUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceFalls ChurchVirginiaUSA
| | | | | | - Steven J. Cooke
- Canadian Centre for Evidence‐Based Conservation, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary ScienceCarleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Joseph R. Bennett
- Canadian Centre for Evidence‐Based Conservation, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary ScienceCarleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
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Fu C, Wang F, Zhao Y, Zhu Q, Luo Y, Li Y, Zhang Z, Yan X, Sun T, Liu Y, Li Z. Challenges and opportunities in human dimensions behind cat-wildlife conflict. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14253. [PMID: 38516741 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Because global anthropogenic activities cause vast biodiversity loss, human dimensions research is essential to forming management plans applicable to biodiversity conservation outside wilderness areas. Engaging public participation is crucial in this context to achieve social and environmental benefits. However, knowledge gaps remain in understanding how a balance between conservation and public demands can be reached and how complicated sociocultural contexts in the Anthropocene can be incorporated in conservation planning. We examined China's nationwide conflict between free-ranging cats (owned cats that are allowed to go outdoors or homeless cats living outdoors) and wildlife to examine how a consensus between compassion and biodiversity conservation can help in decision-making. We surveyed a random sample of people in China online. Over 9000 questionnaires were completed (44.2% response). In aggregate, respondents reported approximately 29 million free-ranging owned cats and that over 5 million domestic cats per year become feral in mainland China. Respondents who were cat owners, female, and religious were more likely to deny the negative impacts of cats on wildlife and ongoing management strategies and more supportive of stray cat shelters, adoption, and community-based fund raising than nonowners, male, and nonreligious respondents (p < 0.05). Free-ranging cat ownership and abandonment occurred less with owners with more knowledge of biodiversity and invasive species than with respondents with less knowledge of these subjects (p < 0.05). We recommend that cat enthusiasts and wildlife conservationists participate in community-based initiatives, such as campaigns to keep cats indoors. Our study provides a substantially useful framework for other regions where free-ranging cats are undergoing rapid expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changjian Fu
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yumeng Zhao
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qin Zhu
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yunchao Luo
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuhang Li
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ziye Zhang
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xueting Yan
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Taozhu Sun
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhongqiu Li
- Lab of Animal Behavior & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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Fariss B, DeMello N, Powlen KA, Latimer CE, Masuda Y, Kennedy CM. Catalyzing success in community-based conservation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e13973. [PMID: 35796041 PMCID: PMC10087706 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to devolve rights and engage Indigenous Peoples and local communities in conservation have increased the demand for evidence of the efficacy of community-based conservation (CBC) and insights into what enables its success. We examined the human well-being and environmental outcomes of a diverse set of 128 CBC projects. Over 80% of CBC projects had some positive human well-being or environmental outcomes, although just 32% achieved positive outcomes for both (i.e., combined success). We coded 57 total national-, community-, and project-level variables and controls from this set, performed random forest classification to identify the variables most important to combined success, and calculated accumulated local effects to describe their individual influence on the probability of achieving it. The best predictors of combined success were 17 variables suggestive of various recommendations and opportunities for conservation practitioners related to national contexts, community characteristics, and the implementation of various strategies and interventions informed by existing CBC frameworks. Specifically, CBC projects had higher probabilities of combined success when they occurred in national contexts supportive of local governance, confronted challenges to collective action, promoted economic diversification, and invested in various capacity-building efforts. Our results provide important insights into how to encourage greater success in CBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandie Fariss
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands, and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Global Conservation in Partnership with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Program, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA
| | - Nicole DeMello
- Global Conservation in Partnership with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Program, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA
| | - Kathryn A Powlen
- Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Christopher E Latimer
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands, and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Yuta Masuda
- Global Science, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA
| | - Christina M Kennedy
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands, and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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