New research by 18 global wildlife conservation funders outlines the need to transform conservation action by encouraging evidence-based decision making when awarding grants. Based on their combined 100+ years of experience, they also encourage other grant-giving organisations to direct funds towards the most effective measures only, in a bid to combat the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
The paper, titled ‘Approaches for integrating evidence of the effectiveness of actions in conservation funding to inspire more effective practice’ has recently been published in leading journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence.
Led by People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), alongside the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme, Whitley Fund for Nature, The Rufford Foundation and other global grant-giving organisations*, the paper urges conservation funders to consider asking applicants to show evidence of how their project proposal is likely to be successful (via existing scientific studies or previous testing) and provide guidance to applicants as to where they can access evidence if needed. It is hoped that these shifts in practice, and others, will enable evidence-based decision making to become commonplace.
The 18 funders have been working in close collaboration with the Conservation Evidence team, based at the University of Cambridge, which is a free, authoritative resource that gives conservationists easy access to the latest and most relevant knowledge to support conservation policy or management decisions.
Nida Al-Fulaij, lead author and CEO of People’s Trust for Endangered Species, explains: “In the middle of a biodiversity crisis, which is impacting global and native species, as funders we need to encourage and support the most effective conservation projects in a bid to make the most of limited money and time. We know there are plenty of innovative schemes used by conservationists worldwide, such as wildlife bridges or livestock insurance, but not all interventions are tested thoroughly before being implemented. This can result in time and money being spent on a project without knowing whether it will be truly effective. Likewise, what works in one region or habitat may not work elsewhere.”
Corresponding author, Dr Nancy Ockendon, the Science Manager at the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme, which has been asking applicants to consider evidence in their proposals since 2018, adds: “This paper reflects on the role of funders in encouraging an evidence-based approach across the conservation sector. We are keen to share our experiences and the processes we use to ask applicants about the evidence for their proposed actions to benefit other funders when awarding grants. The ultimate aim is that as a sector we become increasingly professional and impactful which we hope will lead to greater, and more effective, biodiversity recovery.”
An example of evidence-based interventions is an arboreal wildlife bridge tested in PTES’ nature reserve on the Isle of Wight. Designed to combat the impacts of habitat fragmentation on local dormouse populations, the bridge - based on successes seen in Japan with Japanese dormice - was installed. It reconnected two patches of woodland bisected by a railway line, and within just nine hours of its erection dormice were recorded on the bridge, alongside other rare mammals such as red squirrels. This mirrors the success seen on the Japanese dormouse bridge, which demonstrates the clear benefit of sharing knowledge, experiences, and best practice.
Funders play a crucial role in shaping the future of conservation. It is hoped that encouraging evidence-based practices will generate a much-needed ripple effect that will extend across the sector, and ensure that only impactful, scientifically backed solutions are implemented for the benefit of global wildlife before it’s too late.
To read the full paper, visit: https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12404
To find out more about People’s Trust for Endangered Species, visit www.ptes.org
To find out more about the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme, visit www.endangeredlandscapes.org/
*The 18 grant-giving organisations involved in this research are: People’s Trust for Endangered Species; Natural Cambridgeshire; On the Edge; John Lewis Partnership Foundation Nature Fund (previously John Spedan Lewis Foundation); Mossy Earth;US Fish and Wildlife Service, International Affairs; US Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Program; Bat Conservation International; Lemu;Biodiversity Challenge Funds; The Helvellyn Foundation; Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund; The Rufford Foundation;Future For Nature Foundation;The Whitley Fund for Nature; Zhilan Foundation; US Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration; Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme; with corresponding author Dr Nancy Ockendon.
Image above: A hazel dormouse (L) and the arboreal wildlife bridge, designed for native dormice after seeing successes in Japan, on the Isle of Wight (R). Credit Clare Pengelly (L) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (R).