Strategic Planning for Species Conservation: A Handbook - IUCN

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Strategic Planning for Species Conservation The sections below detail methods that can be used to evaluate potential Actions. These methods are discussed in approximate order of data quality, with the first methods discussed being those which provide the strongest evidence of success and, hence, give greatest confidence of effectiveness if applied widely. Not all of the methods discussed will be appropriate in all circumstances. Nevertheless, conservationists are increasingly recognising the importance of basing management on good evidence (Sutherland et al. 2004), and efforts should be made to evaluate proposed Actions to the highest standard that is practicable. Documenting management approaches that have failed is as important as describing those which have been successful, to avoid repetition of the same (undoubtedly well-intentioned) mistakes. Information sharing resources such as http:// ww.conservationevidence.com and http://ww.environmentalevidence.org may be useful in this regard, and those developing SCSs should draw on such resources, as well as contributing to them. 8.3.1 Experimental field tests of management Actions The gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of a particular management method is an experimental trial conducted under field conditions. Although it is not always possible or appropriate to conduct such experiments, this approach should be considered where possible. Even if other approaches (detailed below) are used to identify promising methods, it is still advisable – once again where possible – to conduct field trials or pilot studies to confirm the methods’ utility for conservation of the species concerned, in the circumstances under which management would be implemented. Not only does this ensure that the management is effective, it can also confirm that threats to the species’ conservation have been correctly diagnosed (Caughley 1994). Photo 8.1 Flightless cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi) in Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador © Robert Lacy 63
64 8. Actions Table 8.4 Real-world examples of Actions which have been subjected to experimental testing in the field Species Action Results Reference Asian elephant Elephas maximus Black petrel Procellaria parkinsoni Black-footed ferret Mustela nigripes Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis Coordinated guarding of fields, and construction of chilli-grease fences, intended to reduce damage to crops and hence hostility to elephants Dripping shark oil behind longline fishing boats, intended to deter seabirds from diving after baits and drowning Release of captive bred animals intended to reestablish wild populations Grating inserted into trawl nets to exclude protected pacific halibut Multiple species Educational leaflet mailed to residents living near protected areas in California Coordinated guarding was highly effective but addition of chilli-grease fences led to no further improvements and their use was discontinued Shark oil significantly reduced diving rates relative to vegetable oil and sea water controls On release, ferrets given experience of natural habitat (prairie dog burrows) dispersed shorter distances and appeared to survive better than those raised in cages Nets with the grating caught 94% fewer halibut than did similar nets lacking the grating, used under identical conditions Only 21% of recipients recalled receiving the leaflet and there were negligible differences in attitudes between neighbours who were, and were not, sent the leaflet Hedges and Gunaryadi in press Pierre and Norden 2006 Biggins et al. 1999 Rose and Gauvin 2000 George and Crooks 2006 Table 8.4 provides some examples of Actions which have been subjected to experimental tests in the field. Experimental evaluations have been conducted for a variety of methods involving management of particular populations (See Table 8.4). In contrast, there are few examples of experimentation being used to evaluate broader-based Actions such as community conservation programmes or establishment of protected areas (Ferraro and Pattanayak 2006). This is unfortunate, especially as such trials need not be arduous, and can often be conducted in the course of implementing Action (this approach is termed "active adaptive management", Parma et al. 1998). 8.3.2 Correlational studies to interpret “natural variation” in management practices Even in the absence of formally-designed experiments, it may be possible to evaluate the past effectiveness of different management approaches by comparing their outcomes using a variety of statistical methods. For example Leader-Williams and Albon (1988) compared rates of change in black rhino populations in different countries and were able to conclude that expenditure of resources on anti-poaching patrols was a key to successful conservation of this species. Other such correlational studies are summarised in Table 8.5.
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