Strategic Planning for Species Conservation: A Handbook - IUCN

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Strategic Planning for Species Conservation Through this Handbook we intend to address these issues and also to accommodate other developments in species conservation planning. We describe a process for planning SCSs that improves on that employed in preparing the earlier Action Plans. We provide a conceptual framework that is based on clear linkages between its component parts, yet is designed to retain sufficient flexibility to allow application to a wide range of species and circumstances. Strategies may be formulated for single species or groups of species, at regional, national, or local scales, but the concept of SCS that we outline here has a taxonomic focus that is narrow enough to allow development of the specific Actions needed to ensure conservation of the species. This contrasts with, but builds upon, the broader assessment of all species within a group that was undertaken in many of the earlier Action Plans. It also means that a number of SCSs might be developed to cover many (but often not all) of the species that were included within former IUCN/SSC Action Plans. However good these guidelines may be, we emphasise that the resulting SCSs will only be successful if they are implemented. As with Action Plans, SCSs must be based on sound conservation science, but they should also be prepared through inclusive, participatory processes that lead to broad ownership. This will improve prospects for implementation and, ultimately, sustained and successful conservation efforts. Both SCSs and Action Plans are only tools and are of no use without effective implementation. Photo 1.1 Bluespotted stingray (Taeniura lymma) in the Red Sea, Egypt IUCN Photo Library © Christian Laufenberg 3
2. A framework for strategic planning for species conservation This chapter defines what we mean by a SCS, provides an overview of its components (Status Review, Vision, Goals, Objectives, Actions, and associated Targets), and briefly outlines the steps involved in developing a SCS. It contrasts the SCS process with earlier species Action Plan preparation processes and emphasises the importance of broad-based participatory processes, such as stakeholder workshops, in all phases of SCS preparation, as a basis for successful implementation. 2.1 What is a Species Conservation Strategy? A SCS, as described in this document, is a blueprint for saving a species or group of species, across all or part of the species’ range. A SCS should contain a Status Review, a Vision and Goals for saving the species, Objectives that need to be met to achieve the Goals, and Actions that will accomplish those Objectives. The components of a SCS are as follows: • A range-wide Status Review (incorporating a threat analysis). This Status Review defines the historical and current distribution of the species, states population sizes (or at least gives some measure of relative abundance), evaluates population trends, and identifies losses and threats. The Status Review should, where available, be informed by the appropriate Red List Assessment(s) and supporting documentation from the Red List Unit of the IUCN Species Programme and the Species Information Service (SIS). The completed Status Review should also in turn feed back into the Red List process. • A range-wide (or in some cases a regional) Vision, which is an inspirational description of the participants’ desired future state for the species, and a set of associated Goals (Chapter 6). These Goals are a rephrasing of the Vision in operational terms to capture in greater detail what needs to be achieved, and where, to save the species. Both the Vision and the Goals have the same geographical and temporal scale. The Goals have a set of associated Goal Targets 2 , which are a medium-term (typically 5–10 years) subset of the Goals. Goal Targets represent those Goals (and/or the necessary steps towards those Goals) that can realistically be achieved over the lifetime of the SCS. Like all targets, Goal Targets should be SMART 3 . • A set of Objectives needed to achieve the Goal Targets over the stated timespan. Objectives address the main threats to the species identified in the Status Review process and the other constraints on achieving the Vision and Goals. In fact, Objectives can be thought of as the inverse of key threats and 2 Note: In a few conservation planning processes, the term "Target" is used to refer to the entity being conserved. We here follow the conventional usage of the concept of targets, which is also that widely used by IUCN. 3 The acronym “SMART’ indicates that Targets should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. 4
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IUCN, International Union for Conse
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