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Christie AP, Amano T, Martin PA, Petrovan SO, Shackelford GE, Simmons BI, Smith RK, Williams DR, Wordley CFR, Sutherland WJ. The challenge of biased evidence in conservation. Conserv Biol 2021; 35:249-262. [PMID: 32583521 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to tackle the current biodiversity crisis need to be as efficient and effective as possible given chronic underfunding. To inform decision-makers of the most effective conservation actions, it is important to identify biases and gaps in the conservation literature to prioritize future evidence generation. We used the Conservation Evidence database to assess the state of the global literature that tests conservation actions for amphibians and birds. For the studies in the database, we investigated their spatial and taxonomic extent and distribution across biomes, effectiveness metrics, and study designs. Studies were heavily concentrated in Western Europe and North America for birds and particularly for amphibians, and temperate forest and grassland biomes were highly represented relative to their percentage of land coverage. Studies that used the most reliable study designs-before-after control-impact and randomized controlled trials-were the most geographically restricted and scarce in the evidence base. There were negative spatial relationships between the numbers of studies and the numbers of threatened and data-deficient species worldwide. Taxonomic biases and gaps were apparent for amphibians and birds-some entire orders were absent from the evidence base-whereas others were poorly represented relative to the proportion of threatened species they contained. Metrics used to evaluate effectiveness of conservation actions were often inconsistent between studies, potentially making them less directly comparable and evidence synthesis more difficult. Testing conservation actions on threatened species outside Western Europe, North America, and Australasia should be prioritized. Standardizing metrics and improving the rigor of study designs used to test conservation actions would also improve the quality of the evidence base for synthesis and decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec P Christie
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Philip A Martin
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
- BioRISC (Biosecurity Research Initiative at St Catharine's), St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, CB2 1RL, U.K
| | - Silviu O Petrovan
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
| | - Gorm E Shackelford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
- BioRISC (Biosecurity Research Initiative at St Catharine's), St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, CB2 1RL, U.K
| | - Benno I Simmons
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, U.K
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, U.K
| | - Rebecca K Smith
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
| | - David R Williams
- Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, U.K
| | - Claire F R Wordley
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
| | - William J Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 3QZ, U.K
- BioRISC (Biosecurity Research Initiative at St Catharine's), St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, CB2 1RL, U.K
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Jucker T, Wintle B, Shackelford G, Bocquillon P, Geffert JL, Kasoar T, Kovacs E, Mumby HS, Orland C, Schleicher J, Tew ER, Zabala A, Amano T, Bell A, Bongalov B, Chambers JM, Corrigan C, Durán AP, Duvic-Paoli LA, Emilson C, Emilson EJS, da Silva JF, Garnett EE, Green EJ, Guth MK, Hacket-Pain A, Hinsley A, Igea J, Kunz M, Luke SH, Lynam W, Martin PA, Nunes MH, Ockendon N, Pavitt A, Payne CLR, Plutshack V, Rademacher TT, Robertson RJ, Rose DC, Serban A, Simmons BI, Tayleur C, Wordley CFR, Mukherjee N. Ten-year assessment of the 100 priority questions for global biodiversity conservation. Conserv Biol 2018; 32:1457-1463. [PMID: 29923638 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In 2008, a group of conservation scientists compiled a list of 100 priority questions for the conservation of the world's biodiversity. However, now almost a decade later, no one has yet published a study gauging how much progress has been made in addressing these 100 high-priority questions in the peer-reviewed literature. We took a first step toward reexamining the 100 questions to identify key knowledge gaps that remain. Through a combination of a questionnaire and a literature review, we evaluated each question on the basis of 2 criteria: relevance and effort. We defined highly relevant questions as those that - if answered - would have the greatest impact on global biodiversity conservation and quantified effort based on the number of review publications addressing a particular question, which we used as a proxy for research effort. Using this approach, we identified a set of questions that, despite being perceived as highly relevant, have been the focus of relatively few review publications over the past 10 years. These questions covered a broad range of topics but predominantly tackled 3 major themes: conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems, role of societal structures in shaping interactions between people and the environment, and impacts of conservation interventions. We believe these questions represent important knowledge gaps that have received insufficient attention and may need to be prioritized in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Jucker
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, U.K
- CSIRO Land & Water, 147 Underwood Avenue, Floreat, WA 6014, Australia
| | - Bonnie Wintle
- Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, U.K
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Gorm Shackelford
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Pierre Bocquillon
- School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, U.K
- Department of Land Economy, Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge, 16-21 Silver Street, Cambridge, CB3 9EP, U.K
| | - Jan Laurens Geffert
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, 20 Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 1QB, U.K
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, U.K
| | - Tim Kasoar
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Eszter Kovacs
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, 20 Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 1QB, U.K
- Corvinus University of Budapest, Fővám tér 8, Budapest, 1093, Hungary
| | - Hannah S Mumby
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Wallotstraße 19, 14193 Berlin, Germany
| | - Chloé Orland
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, U.K
| | - Judith Schleicher
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, 20 Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 1QB, U.K
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, U.K
| | - Eleanor R Tew
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Aiora Zabala
- Department of Land Economy, Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge, 16-21 Silver Street, Cambridge, CB3 9EP, U.K
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, Cambridge, U.K
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Alexandra Bell
- Ministerium für Umwelt, Energie, Ernährung und Forsten, Rheinland Pfalz, Kaiser-Friedrich-Straße 1, 55116 Mainz, Germany
| | - Boris Bongalov
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, U.K
| | - Josephine M Chambers
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, 20 Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 1QB, U.K
| | - Colleen Corrigan
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, U.K
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - América P Durán
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, U.K
- Luc Hoffmann Institute, c/o WWF International, Avenue du Mont Blanc, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli
- Department of Land Economy, Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge, 16-21 Silver Street, Cambridge, CB3 9EP, U.K
| | - Caroline Emilson
- Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Erik J S Emilson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, U.K
- Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | | | - Emma E Garnett
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Elizabeth J Green
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, U.K
| | - Miriam K Guth
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, U.K
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Science, University of Liverpool, 4 Brownlow Street, Liverpool Merseyside, L69 3GP, U.K
| | - Amy Hinsley
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, U.K
| | - Javier Igea
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, U.K
| | - Martina Kunz
- Department of Land Economy, Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge, 16-21 Silver Street, Cambridge, CB3 9EP, U.K
| | - Sarah H Luke
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, U.K
| | - William Lynam
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, U.K
| | - Philip A Martin
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Matheus H Nunes
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, U.K
| | - Nancy Ockendon
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Aly Pavitt
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, U.K
| | - Charlotte L R Payne
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Victoria Plutshack
- Department of Land Economy, Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge, 16-21 Silver Street, Cambridge, CB3 9EP, U.K
| | - Tim T Rademacher
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, 20 Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 1QB, U.K
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A
- School of Informatics and Cyber Security and Centre for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, 1295 Knoles Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, U.S.A
| | - Rebecca J Robertson
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - David C Rose
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, U.K
| | - Anca Serban
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, 20 Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 1QB, U.K
| | - Benno I Simmons
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Catherine Tayleur
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Potton Road, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, U.K
| | - Claire F R Wordley
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
| | - Nibedita Mukherjee
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, U.K
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, U.K
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