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Shortfalls in conservation evidence: moving from ecological effects of interventions to policy evaluation
Citation
Adams, VM and Barnes, M and Pressey, RL, Shortfalls in conservation evidence: moving from ecological effects of interventions to policy evaluation, One Earth, 1, (1) pp. 62-75. ISSN 2590-3322 (2019) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© 2019 Elsevier
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2019.08.017
Abstract
Conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in natural environments requires careful management choices. However, common methods of evaluating the impact of conservation interventions can have contextual shortcomings. Here, we make a call for counterfactual thinking - asking the question "what would have happened in the absence of an intervention?" - with the support of rigorous evaluation approaches and more thoughtful consideration of human dimensions and behavior. We review and contrast different evaluation approaches and highlight the advantages of counterfactual approaches over alternative methods. We also illustrate how even robust estimates of ecological impact can fail to estimate the impact of specific policy interventions. The latter depend importantly on human preferences and responses to regulations and incentives that cannot be captured by studies of ecological impact. We propose specific and practical steps that all evaluations can implement now to immediately improve their credibility and accountability.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | impact evaluation, conservation evidence, counterfactual thinking, quasi-experimental evaluation, policy evaluation, quasi experimental methods |
Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
Research Group: | Environmental management |
Research Field: | Conservation and biodiversity |
Objective Division: | Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards |
Objective Group: | Environmental policy, legislation and standards |
Objective Field: | Environmental policy, legislation and standards not elsewhere classified |
UTAS Author: | Adams, VM (Associate Professor Vanessa Adams) |
ID Code: | 135132 |
Year Published: | 2019 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 24 |
Deposited By: | Geography and Spatial Science |
Deposited On: | 2019-10-01 |
Last Modified: | 2020-05-19 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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