Our blog provides news, updates and insights related to evidence-based conservation from the Conservation Evidence team, as well as our partner organisations and others in the conservation community. We're particularly interested in work that uses, or generates, evidence on the effects of biodiversity conservation actions.
To get in touch about the blog please contact Nigel Taylor at nt461@cam.ac.uk. We’re always happy to receive suggestions for new guest blog posts.
Challenges and opportunities for evidence-based development mitigation
This blog was written by Bronwen Hunter, a PhD student at the University of Sussex who recently completed her MSc at Imperial College, London, where she conducted research on the evidence for ecological mitigation measures. Her current work focuses on the application of text-analysis tools to global analyses of wildlife exploitation. What is ecological mitigation?…
1,000 pages of evidence for conservation actions
This week, the sixth edition of Conservation Evidence’s flagship publication, What Works in Conservation, is published. What Works provides a freely-available, comprehensive overview of the expert assessment of evidence for the effectiveness (or not) of management actions collated within Conservation Evidence synopses. It is a freely-available resource for conservation managers, practitioners and policy-makers who want…
Turning evidence into action for the conservation of the UK’s woods and trees
This blog was written by Karen Hornigold, Conservation Evidence Advisor for the Woodland Trust. The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading native woods and trees conservation charity, with a large woodland estate that we manage for people and wildlife. We use research and evidence to underpin our conservation work, not only on our estate, but…
Experiments in conservation practice
This blog was written by Nancy Ockendon, Science Manager for the Endangered Landscapes Programme, to accompany the publication of the open-access article Effectively integrating experiments into conservation practice in Ecological Solutions and Evidence. It seeks to raise awareness of opportunities to embed experiments in conservation and restoration management, in order to generate new evidence and…
Evidence synthesis communities and the future of evidence-informed conservation
Neal R Haddaway, Matthew J Grainger, Gavin Stewart From computer science to public health, from sustainable agriculture to marine conservation, evidence synthesis is increasingly seen as a vital piece of the decision-making process. Evidence synthesis methodologies are developing rapidly, aided by new technologies that can make synthesis work more efficient. At the same time, communities…
Looking out for the little things
Dr Andrew Bladon is a Research Associate at Conservation Evidence and is currently writing the Butterfly and Moth Conservation synopsis. The list of Conservation Evidence synopses seems to grow longer by the month, and with the reptile synopsis due out later this year [read about it here], we are close to having produced synopses for…
What evidence matters most in conservation practice?
Dr Anne Mupepele is a Postdoc and Lecturer at the Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg Conservation practitioners frequently have to prioritize which actions to take to preserve or restore ecosystems, biodiversity or threatened species. Calls that such actions should be based on scientific evidence are not new (Stuart 1945; Cochrane…
Applied Ecology Resources: connecting research and practice
Marc Cadotte is a Professor at the University of Toronto and Chair of Applied Ecology Resources, as well as Editor-in-Chief of its accompanying journal, Ecological Solutions and Evidence. Effective conservation and applied ecological management and policy requires that information from both research and practice are available. While it is a straightforward endeavour to search for…
Hot off the press: new Marsh and Swamp Conservation synopsis
Nigel Taylor is a postdoctoral researcher at Tour du Valat, Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands. He is one of the authors of the Marsh and Swamp Conservation synopsis. When you think of marshes and swamps, you might think of smelly wastelands full of mosquitoes and alligators. But they are in fact vital…
Nature’s Sure Connected: a practical framework and guidance for evidencing outcomes of landscape-scale conservation
Dr Paul Tinsley-Marshall is the Conservation Evidence Manager at Kent Wildlife Trust, UK The Lawton Principles continue to guide the delivery of conservation in the UK, eleven years on from the publication of Making Space for Nature[1]. Lawton’s influential review outlined a need for more, bigger, better and joined spaces for nature, to create a…