Strategic Planning for Species Conservation: A Handbook - IUCN

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8. Actions
Within the framework of the SCS, Actions fall below Objectives (see Figure 2.1). However,
because Objectives can be rather broad in their scope, whereas Actions are often most
useful if very specifically defined, it is helpful to group Actions under a number of Objective
Targets associated with each Objective (Figure 2.1; also see Table 8.1). Each of the
Actions proposed should be necessary to achieve the Objective Target with which it is
associated. Additionally, the Actions listed under an Objective Target should, together, be
sufficient to reach that Target.
Table 8.1 – An example of Actions grouped under an Objective Target;
Extracted from the Regional Strategy for the conservation of African wild dogs and cheetahs in
eastern Africa (Note that only one of several Objective Targets is listed here.)
Objective Objective Target Action
1. Develop and
implement strategies
to promote
coexistence of
cheetah and wild
dogs with people
and domestic
animals
Source: IUCN/SSC in press.
1.1 Sustainable tools
to reduce wild dog and
cheetah impacts on
livestock developed
and disseminated
across the region
within three years
8.2.2 How specifically should Actions be defined?
1.1.1 Identify areas where cheetah and wild dog
populations are significantly threatened by conflict
with livestock farmers
1.1.2 Identify the circumstances that contribute to
livestock depredation by cheetah and wild dogs in
the identified areas
1.1.3 Develop effective strategies for disseminating
existing information on reducing cheetah and wild
dog impacts on livestock to relevant parties across
eastern Africa
All SCSs should list Actions. However, SCSs will vary in how specifically those Actions are
defined. Range-wide or regional SCSs which are likely to involve implementation by
diverse management authorities, or those which concern multiple species, may include
recommended Actions which are fairly broad in their scope. By contrast, national or local
Action Plans, or SCSs concerning single species, may include Actions which are much
more specific. Whatever the geographic scope of a SCS or Action Plan, lists of Actions will
often be most useful if they are highly specific, detailing not only what needs to be done
(see section 8.3), but also by whom (“actors”; see section 8.7), where (see section 8.5), and
by what date (“timeline”; see section 8.6 below). In addition, indicators of success should
ideally be defined for each Action (“indicators”; see section 8.4); these help to define what
each Action is intended to achieve, and to determine when the Action has been performed
successfully. To ensure that it is apparent whether or not indicators have been achieved, it
will often be helpful to define monitoring needs for each Action (see section 8.4). Finally, it
may sometimes be useful to attach priority rankings to particular Actions (see section 8.8).
This level of detail is appropriate within a local or national Action Plan; whether it is useful or
necessary in regional or range-wide SCSs will vary on a case-by-case basis. Such detail
should be viewed as optional. Crucially, the amount of specific detail associated with a
particular Action should not go beyond the data available (e.g., reintroduction sites should
not be specified if they have not been carefully evaluated; instead, evaluation of potential
sites might be listed as an Action). In addition, consideration needs to be given to how the
provision of detailed prescriptions may influence the probability that a SCS will be
implemented. Overly detailed SCSs can appear daunting or prescriptive, and are likely to
alienate stakeholders who were not involved in developing them. As discussed in Chapter