Conservation Decision Making and Investment
Actionable Science in Conservation
To accelerate the success of biodiversity management and sustainable biodiversity outcomes, we study individual and institutional attributes that lead to successful biodiversity outcomes. This work seeks to understand what types of scientific strategies and organizational structures best translate conservation science research into useful, socially beneficial outcomes. With support from the National Science Foundation, we study how and when the supply of and demand for conservation knowledge are linked. This research will provide a model and tools for achieving and enhancing public value outcomes in conservation science and related fields, which will be employable by decision-makers in governmental, private, and non-profit organizations. Ultimately, this work will provide guidelines on how to design knowledge partnerships for public value and will offer new models of institutional partnerships to address complex social and ecological aspects of biodiversity conservation, thus enabling solutions that are relevant, culturally sensitive, economically viable, and nimble.
The Business Case for Biodiversity
The corporate sector has shown a growing commitment to sustainability issues over the past decade. Increasingly, businesses are recognizing the value of natural capital and the importance of conserving the earth’s limited natural resources. In addition, the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) and the Global Biodiversity Framework are pushing businesses to innovate and adapt in the face of an evolving policy landscape. These changes present opportunities for conservationists to engage with the corporate world to achieve better biodiversity outcomes. By developing a return on investment approach to conservation, we work to enable companies to quantify their impacts on biodiversity and examine alternative actions that would improve these impacts. Moreover, our work will allow companies to understand the financial costs and benefits associated with activities along their supply chains. As the biodiversity crisis worsens and calls for action from policymakers and the public are increasing, this work is critical for providing an avenue for the private sector to take concrete action to support the natural world.
Biodiversity Outcomes and Green Economic Development
In collaboration with USAID and Conservation International, the Amazon Business Alliance is an initiative focused on sustainable development and biodiversity conservation in the Peruvian Amazon. We collaborate to identify sustainable agricultural practices that benefit local communities and biodiversity alike. This project facilitates sustainable agricultural practices by facilitating informed investment in farming communities, such as agroforestry. This will ultimately empower local smallholder farmers, assist in making headway towards Sustainable Development Goals, and promote biodiversity conservation without compromising the livelihoods of local communities.
Visit: Amazon Business Alliance
Prioritizing Actions for Endangered Species Recovery
Protection of species under the Endangered Species Act is a challenging and often controversial task that requires input from a variety of environmental, economic, social, and political interests. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, responsible for recovery of most listed species, is faced with an increasing workload and decreasing resources to meet recovery plan demands. In light of an increasing list of imperiled species requiring evaluation and protection, we work with FWS to identify new ways to prioritize conservation actions that can be applied consistently across species and to efficiently allocate recovery funds. We are also developing a decision support tool to improve the efficiency of pesticide risk assessment for endangered species. Currently, pesticide risk assessment is an intensive and somewhat inefficient process, yet it is highly important for endangered species conservation. Pesticide assessment is also relevant to the private sector, particularly agricultural industries, meaning there is considerable room for stakeholder cooperation and engagement around this issue. By using decision science to improve efficiency and analyze costs, for the EPA and businesses alike, we seek to improve outcomes for endangered species affected by pesticides across the United States.
Visit: Recovery Explorer Tool