Training future generations to deliver evidence‐based conservation and ecosystem management

Authors: Harriet Downey, Tatsuya Amano, Marc Cadotte, Carly N Cook, Steven J Cooke, Neal R Haddaway, Julia P G Jones, Nick Littlewood, Jessica C Walsh, Mark I Abrahams, Gilbert Adum,, Munemitsu Akasaka, Jose A Alves, Rachael E Antwis, Eduardo C Arellano, Jan Axmacher, Holly Barclay, Lesley Batty, Ana Benítez‐López, Joseph R Bennett, Maureen J Berg, Sandro Bertolino, Duan Biggs, Friederike C Bolam Tim Bray, Barry W Brook, Joseph W Bull, Zuzana Burivalova, Mar Cabeza, Alienor L M Chauvenet Alec P Christie, Lorna Cole, Alison J Cotton, Sam Cotton, Sara A O Cousins, Dylan Craven, Will Cresswell, Jeremy J Cusack, Sarah E Dalrymple, Zoe G Davies, Anita Diaz, Jennifer A Dodd, Adam Felton, Erica Fleishman, Charlie J Gardner, Ruth Garside, Arash Ghoddousi, James J Gilroy, David A Gill, Jennifer A Gill, Louise Glew, Matthew J Grainger, Amelia A Grass, Stephanie Greshon, Jamie Gundry Tom Hart, Charlotte R Hopkins, Caroline Howe, Arlyne Johnson, Kelly W Jones, Neil R Jordan, Taku Kadoya, Daphne Kerhoas, Julia Koricheva, Tien Ming Lee, Szabolcs Lengyel, Stuart W Livingstone Ashley Lyons, Gráinne McCabe, Jonathan Millett, Chloë Montes Strevens, Adam Moolna, Hannah L Mossman, Nibedita Mukherjee, Andrés Muñoz‐Sáez, Nuno Negrões, Olivia Norfolk, Takeshi Osawa Sarah Papworth, Kirsty J Park, Jérôme Pellet, Andrea D Phillott, Joshua M Plotnik, Dolly Priatna Alejandra G Ramos, Nicola Randall, Rob M Richards, Euan G Ritchie, David L Roberts, Ricardo Rocha Jon Paul Rodríguez, Roy Sanderson, Takehiro Sasaki, Sini Savilaakso, Carl Sayer, Cagan Sekercioglu Masayuki Senzaki, Grania Smith, Robert J Smith, Masashi Soga, Carl D Soulsbury, Mark D Steer, Gavin Stewart, E F Strange, Andrew J Suggitt, Ralph R J Thompson, Stewart Thompson, Ian Thornhill, R J Trevelyan, Hope O Usieta, Oscar Venter, Amanda D Webber, Rachel L White, Mark J Whittingham Andrew Wilby, Richard W Yarnell, Veronica Zamora, William J Sutherland

Published in: Ecological Solutions and Evidence

Abstract

To be effective, the next generation of conservation practitioners and managers need to be critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how to make evidence‐based decisions and of the value of evidence synthesis.

If, as educators, we do not make these priorities a core part of what we teach, we are failing to prepare our students to make an effective contribution to conservation practice.

To help overcome this problem, we have created open access online teaching materials in multiple languages that are stored in Applied Ecology Resources. So far, 117 educators from 23 countries have acknowledged the importance of this and are already teaching or about to teach skills in appraising or using evidence in conservation decision‐making. This includes 145 undergraduate, postgraduate or professional development courses.

We call for wider teaching of the tools and skills that facilitate evidence‐based conservation and also suggest that providing online teaching materials in multiple languages could be beneficial for improving global understanding of other subject areas.

Downey H, Amano T, Cadotte M, Cook CN, Cooke SJ, Haddaway NR, Jones JPG, Littlewood N, Walsh JC, Abrahams MI, Adum G, Akasaka M, Alves JA, Antwis RE, Arellano EC, Axmacher J, Barclay H, Batty L, Benítez‐López A, Bennett JR, Berg MJ, Bertolino S, Biggs D, Bolam FC, Bray T, Brook BW, Bull JW, Burivalova Z, Cabeza M, Chauvenet ALM, Christie AP, Cole L, Cotton AJ, Cotton S, Cousins SAO, Craven D, Cresswell W, Cusack JJ, Dalrymple SE, Davies ZG, Diaz A, Dodd JA, Felton A, Fleishman E, Gardner CJ, Garside R, Ghoddousi A, Gilroy JJ, Gill DA, Gill JA, Glew L, Grainger MJ, Grass AA, Greshon S, Gundry J, Hart T, Hopkins CR, Howe C, Johnson A, Jones KW, Jordan NR, Kadoya T, Kerhoas D, Koricheva J, Lee TM, Lengyel S, Livingstone SW, Lyons A, McCabe G, Millett J, Strevens CM, Moolna A, Mossman HL, Mukherjee N, Muñoz‐Sáez A, Negrões N, Norfolk O, Osawa T, Papworth S, Park KJ, Pellet J, Phillott AD, Plotnik JM, Priatna D, Ramos AG, Randall N, Richards RM, Ritchie EG, Roberts DL, Rocha R, Rodríguez JP, Sanderson R, Sasaki T, Savilaakso S, Sayer C, Sekercioglu C, Senzaki M, Smith G, Smith RJ, Soga M, Soulsbury CD, Steer MD, Stewart G, Strange EF, Suggitt AJ, Thompson RRJ, Thompson S, Thornhill I, Trevelyan RJ, Usieta HO, Venter O, Webber AD, White RL, Whittingham MJ, Wilby A, Yarnell RW, Zamora V, Sutherland WJ (2021) Training future generations to deliver evidence‐based conservation and ecosystem management. Ecological Solutions and Evidence PDF DOI