Despite the efforts of conservation scientists worldwide, much conservation today is based on belief systems, rather than empirical evidence of the impact of alternative conservation strategies (but see Wiik et al. 2019 for exciting new research using randomised control trials). Two of the most widespread belief systems in conservation are the contrasting beliefs that we … Continue reading Should conservation be focused on highly threatened frontier areas, or pristine wilderness areas?
Stakeholders get together to think about the future of the Fitzroy River catchment, Kimberley, Western Australia
NESP Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub’s project on multiple objective planning in northern Australia is guiding participatory scenario planning to construct and assess the outcomes of alternative development scenarios in the Fitzroy catchment, WA. The project’s planning team will meet three times to discuss possible development pathways for the Fitzroy catchment and their consequences. On July … Continue reading Stakeholders get together to think about the future of the Fitzroy River catchment, Kimberley, Western Australia
Social Dynamics Shaping the Diffusion of Sustainable Aquaculture Innovations in the Solomon Islands
I recently collaborated will colleagues from WorldFish on a paper now out in Sustainability, which explores social dynamics that shape the diffusion of sustainable aquaculture practices. Jess and I have been thinking a lot lately about Diffusion of Innovation theory, and how it might be useful to explain the uptake and spread of community-based conservation "innovations". In this … Continue reading Social Dynamics Shaping the Diffusion of Sustainable Aquaculture Innovations in the Solomon Islands
NEW PAPER: Restricted grouper reproductive migrations support community-based management
Small, targeted community-managed reserves can balance conservation and fisheries benefits.Conservation commonly requires trade-offs between social and ecological goals. For tropical small-scale fisheries, social considerations often require community-based management – carried out at very small spatial scales. This is of particular concern for large coral reef fishes, such as many species of grouper, which migrate to aggregations to … Continue reading NEW PAPER: Restricted grouper reproductive migrations support community-based management
Integrated cross-realm planning: a decision-makers’ perspective
A new paper on integrated cross-realm planning, led by Jorge G. Álvarez-Romero and other members of the Conservation Planning Group, is now online in Biological Conservation. We followed a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to examine the foundations, current approaches, and key requirements of cross-realm planning. Over three workshops, our team of authors included people with … Continue reading Integrated cross-realm planning: a decision-makers’ perspective
The Barrier Reef is not listed as in danger, but the threats remain
UNESCO and IUCN have just released a draft decision for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The decision proposes not to list the GBR “In danger” as many expected. However, given the many threats that still face the GBR, this article suggests several aspects of the decision that need to be stronger to maintain the World Heritage values. Jon Day from the ARC Centre for Coral … Continue reading The Barrier Reef is not listed as in danger, but the threats remain
NEW PAPER: Spatial mismatch between marine protected areas and dugongs in New Caledonia
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a powerful tool for conserving marine biodiversity when designed using ecological information and conservation goals and targets. Dugongs (Dugong dugon) were not an explicit target in the design of the network of MPAs in the lagoons of New Caledonia, despite being one of the region’s World Heritage values. Christophe Cleguer’s … Continue reading NEW PAPER: Spatial mismatch between marine protected areas and dugongs in New Caledonia