Trends in Ecology & Evolution
OpinionWhat Conservation Does
Section snippets
The Agenda of Conservation Science Discredited
Biodiversity loss is not decelerating [1], either in the terrestrial [2] or marine biotas [3] and affects most taxa, particularly birds and mammals [4]. In addition to its velocity, one of the features of the current situation lies in its anthropogenic origin [5]. This critical transition has been labeled as ‘Anthropocene’ by scientists, policymakers, and the broader public [6]. However, these conditions were already recognized more than three decades ago, when they led to the emergence of the
Scrutinizing the Academic Conservation Corpus
We analyzed the titles, abstracts, and, if necessary, full-texts of all scientific papers published from January 2000 to February 2015 in the nine leading international conservation science journals. We restricted this analysis to journals corresponding to the field ‘conservation’ according to the Web of Science: Animal Conservation, Biodiversity and Conservation, Biological Conservation, Conservation Biology, Conservation Letters, Diversity and Distributions, Environmental Conservation,
Diversity and Distribution of Status, Threats, and Solutions in Space and among Taxonomic Groups
From January 2000 to February 2015, the nine journals published 12 971 papers. The annual publication rate increased from 2000 to 2014, partly due to the appearance of three new journals: Conservation Letters, Diversity and Distributions, and the Journal for Nature Conservation. The year 2015 was not included in this analysis as data were not available for the full year (linear trend: +35 papers a year, F1,13 = 49.25, P < 0.01, R2 = 0.79).
The analysis showed that 76% of papers (9844) could not be
The Diversity and Effectiveness of Conservation Solutions
Our review reveals a wide range of conservation solutions, with numerous types of solutions ranging from traditional conservation tools such as protected areas and rather ‘technical’ solutions (species translocation, habitat restoration–creation, species-specific management, etc.), to ‘human-friendly’ measures such as promoting a sustainable use of natural resources, or social and economic solutions rather than restricting conservation strategies to nature protection. If protected areas remain
Diversity in Study Areas and Species
We found great diversity in focus regarding geographical areas and species. As it has been reported elsewhere (e.g., 19, 20, 21, 22, 23), more studies have been conducted in terrestrial than marine systems. Most studies were species specific, and essentially focused on birds and mammals. This taxa bias was demonstrated by Amori and Gippoliti [24]. It continues to be used to justify the revision of conservation agendas, specifically to take the focus off charismatic species and biodiversity
Realistic Conservation: Beyond Pessimism and Optimism
Investigating the past, present, and future of conservation science needs empirical support. Assessing its effectiveness should rest on empirical studies that make an objective evaluation of the failure and success of conservation actions 25, 26, 27. Long-term progress toward the global objective of reducing biodiversity loss has led to massive efforts dedicated to the inventory, survey, and monitoring of biological components in space and time. Lists of biodiversity indicators (e.g., the Red
Concluding Remarks
The aim of our study was to take a step back from current, simplistic, ideological positions, and investigate the scientific conservation literature. In doing so, we do not claim to contribute to classical ethical debates on conservation motives (e.g., as in the long-lasting discussions about wilderness and intrinsic values) or to more recent initiatives on global land sparing or sharing (e.g., Nature Needs Half movement [40]). But our empirical approach provides sufficient arguments to
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2022, Environmental Science and PolicyCitation Excerpt :Ten and twenty years later, there were 108,716 (in 2008) and 271,080 (in 2018). The volume of published academic research continues to increase as new journals of varying quality are launched around the world (Godet and Devictor, 2018). This worsens problems of search and interpretation for decision-makers, as it increases the time required for evaluating individual publications, as well as the possibility that essential information to guide decision-making is lost in the sea of scientific publications.