An assessment of the state of conservation planning in Europe

Abstract

Expanding and managing current habitat and species protection measures is at the heart of the European biodiversity strategy. A structured approach is needed to gain insights into such issues is systematic conservation planning, which uses techniques from decision theory to identify places and actions that contribute most effectively to policy objectives given a set of constraints. Yet culturally and historically determined European landscapes make the implementation of any conservation plans challenging, requiring an analysis of synergies and trade-offs before implementation. In this work, we review the scientific literature for evidence of previous conservation planning approaches, highlighting recent advances and success stories. We find that the conceptual characteristics of European conservation planning studies likely reduced their potential in contributing to better-informed decisions. We outline pathways towards improving the uptake of decision theory and multi-criteria conservation planning at various scales, particularly highlighting the need for (a) open data and intuitive tools, (b) the integration of biodiversity-focused conservation planning with multiple objectives, (c) accounting of dynamic ecological processes and functions, and (d) better facilitation of entry-points and co-design practices of conservation planning scenarios with stakeholders. By adopting and improving these practices, European conservation planning might become more actionable and adaptable towards implementable policy outcomes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere’.

Navigating ecological novelty towards planetary stewardship: challenges and opportunities in biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere

“…Scientific knowledge does not in and of itself translate into practise. Hence, mapping and bridging the contextually varied and inevitably value-laden middle ground between these worlds is a priority, as exemplified in the contribution by Jung et al [ 86 ].…”

“…Allowing such range shifts across borders would boost these species' resilience, but present a major environmental governance hurdle, as discussed by Davoli & Svenning [85]. While not modelling such barriers explicitly, their argument is strongly supported by the bibliometric study of Jung et al [86], also in this theme issue. Here, the authors deploy text-mining approaches to scan scientific and policy documents pertinent to European conservation planning.…”

“…These documents show a prioritization of local perspectives despite the need for integration across scales, an overwhelming lack of stakeholder engagement, and an absence of perspectives that include both past biodiversity states and future scenarios. Encouragingly, Jung et al [ 86 ] also point out a number of ways in which current practise may be improved. Many of these (e.g.…”

“…[ 42 , 85 ]). That said, Jung et al [ 86 ] also urge conservation scientists to be more mindful of how their work may feed into policy and decision-making, and the need for stakeholder engagement to make this happen.…”