Problems of scale abound in the governance of complex social-ecological systems. The governance of these systems typically occurs at a single scale (e.g. local, national), but needs to inform governance and actions at other scales to be truly effective at achieving social and ecological outcomes across multiple scales. This process of integrating conservation planning across … Continue reading New paper: Scalar capital as ingredient of success in conservation governance: evidence from Melanesia
New paper: Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of conservation planning at different scales – the Coral Triangle as a case study
Approaches to effectively integrate conservation planning across different levels (e.g. local, national, global) remain elusive, despite the increasing awareness of its importance. To plan across multiple levels most effectively, the relative strengths and weaknesses of planning at different levels must be understood. In a new paper led by Jess Cheok, published in Ecology and Society, … Continue reading New paper: Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of conservation planning at different scales – the Coral Triangle as a case study
The Conservation Planning Group go to IMCC5!
This week, members of The Conservation Planning Group will be travelling to the wonderful city of Kuching for the 5th International Marine Conservation Congress. The overall theme for this year's congress is set to be an exciting one: Making Marine Science Matter to stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners for effective marine conservation. You can find details of … Continue reading The Conservation Planning Group go to IMCC5!
New paper: frequent iterative adjustment of regional priorities can benefit implementation
A new paper by Cheok and colleagues has been published in Diversity and Distributions, on the potential benefits that can arise when regional conservation priorities are updated more frequently. Regional conservation assessments are frequently undertaken to guide strategic application of conservation actions. These actions are applied locally by individuals and communities and inevitably deviate, for a … Continue reading New paper: frequent iterative adjustment of regional priorities can benefit implementation
Tools workshop on responsible sustainable development in East New Britain
Two weeks ago I was in Kokopo, in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea with a dedicated team from The Nature Conservancy, CSIRO and the University of Queensland. I was there to help facilitate one of their workshops on delivering tools that can help local-level governments (LLGs) work towards creating their land- and sea-use plans, ultimately informing their own sustainable … Continue reading Tools workshop on responsible sustainable development in East New Britain
New Paper: Sympathy for the devil: Detailing the effects of planning-unit size, thematic resolution of reef classes, and socioeconomic costs on spatial priorities for marine conservation
Jessica and colleagues from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, and the French Research Institute for Development recently published a paper in PLoS ONE. The study looked at different factors related to data resolution and spatial heterogeneity involved in the process of prioritising areas for marine conservation, and how … Continue reading New Paper: Sympathy for the devil: Detailing the effects of planning-unit size, thematic resolution of reef classes, and socioeconomic costs on spatial priorities for marine conservation
Are spatially variable costs more of a hindrance to conservation prioritisations at regional, coarse-resolution scales?
Regional-scale conservation planning considering ecosystems as a whole is important in allowing us to capture emergent system properties, such as complementarity, connectivity, and large-scale ecological processes and threats. Consequently, there has been an increase in the number of regional-scale prioritisation assessments in the conservation planning literature. However, conservation planning cannot stop at regional scales. Planning … Continue reading Are spatially variable costs more of a hindrance to conservation prioritisations at regional, coarse-resolution scales?