Prioritizing species conservation programs based on IUCN Green Status and estimates of cost-sharing potential |
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Authors: | Natasha A Lloyd Laura M Keating Alyssa J Friesen Dylan M Cole Jana M McPherson H Resit Akçakaya Axel Moehrenschlager |
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Affiliation: | 1. Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Alberta, Canada;2. Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA |
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Abstract: | Over 1 million species around the world are at risk of extinction, and conservation organizations have to decide where to invest their limited resources. Cost-effectiveness can be increased by leveraging funding opportunities and increasing collaborative partnerships to achieve shared conservation goals. We devised a structured decision-making framework to prioritize species’ conservation programs based on a cost–benefit analysis that takes collaborative opportunities into account in an examination of national and global conservation return on investment. Conservation benefit is determined by modifying the novel International Union for the Conservation of Nature Green Status for Species to provide an efficient, high-level measure that is comparable among species, even with limited information and time constraints. We applied this prioritization approach to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, Canada, a nonprofit organization seeking to increase the number of species it assists with conservation translocations. We sought to identify and prioritize additional species’ programs for which conservation translocation expertise and actions could make the most impact. Estimating the likelihood of cost-sharing potential enabled total program cost to be distinguished from costs specific to the organization. Comparing a benefit-to-cost ratio on different geographic scales allowed decision makers to weigh alternative options for investing in new species’ programs in a transparent and effective manner. Our innovative analysis aligns with general conservation planning frameworks and can be adapted for any organization. |
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Keywords: | benefits-to-cost ratio conservation translocations IUCN Green Status organizational objectives return on investment species programs structured decision-making Estatus Verde de la UICN objetivos de organización programas de especies proporción costo-beneficio rendimiento de la inversión reubicaciones de conservación toma estructurada de decisiones 结构化决策 《IUCN物种生存状况绿色标准》 效益成本比 组织目标 投资回报 物种保护计划 |
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