Using Decision Analysis to Improve Malaria Control Policy Making

Malaria and other vector-borne diseases represent a significant and growing burden in many tropical countries. Successfully addressing these threats will require policies that expand access to and use of existing control methods, such as insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) and artemesinin combination therapies (ACTs) for malaria, while weighing the costs and benefits of alternative approaches over time. This paper argues that decision analysis provides a valuable framework for formulating such policies and combating the emergence and re-emergence of malaria and other diseases. We outline five challenges that policy makers and practitioners face in the struggle against malaria, and demonstrate how decision analysis can help to address and overcome these challenges. A prototype decision analysis framework for malaria control in Tanzania is presented, highlighting the key components that a decision support tool should include. Developing and applying such a framework can promote stronger and more effective linkages between research and policy, ultimately helping to reduce the burden of malaria and other vector-borne diseases

Money for Nothing? A Call for Empirical Evaluation of Biodiversity Conservation Investments

The field of conservation policy must adopt state-of-the-art program evaluation methods to determine what works, and when, if we are to stem the global decline of biodiversity and improve the effectiveness of conservation investments

A comparative approach to assess drivers of success in mammalian conservation recovery programmes

The outcomes of species recovery programmes have been mixed, with high-profile population recoveries contrasting with species-level extinctions. Although each conservation intervention faces its own challenges, it is imperative to assess whether such lessons have wider general applicability. To contribute towards evidence-based improvement of future conservation strategies, we conducted global-scale quantitative analysis of 48 mammalian recovery programmes based on peer-reviewed literature and semi-structured interviews with conservation scientists and practitioners, investigating ecological, management and political factors associated with population recoveries or declines. The importance of identifying and removing threats was shown strongly by our results, emphasizing that populations are likely to continue to be negatively impacted if threats are not reduced or removed. Our analysis also highlights the importance of management strategies such as robust threat monitoring. Small population size and lack of habitat were associated with longer-term dependence on conservation intervention; this demonstrates the importance of increasing population numbers quickly, and restoring and protecting habitat to ensure long-term population recovery. Informants also cited poor stakeholder coordination and management as key weaknesses in recovery programmes, indicating the importance of effective leadership and shared goals and management plans. Project outcomes were not influenced by ecological variables, suggesting that recommendations from our results are applicable to other recovery programmes. Our study demonstrates the value in conducting quantitative comparative assessments of factors influencing success in conservation interventions. We encourage further such studies, particularly at more geographically localised scales, and recommend that the conservation community continues to evaluate and learn lessons from past experiences and adapt future strategies accordingly

Practitioner and scientist perceptions of successful amphibian conservation

Conservation requires successful outcomes. However, success is perceived in many different ways depending on the desired outcome, which can vary according to numerous factors. We analysed perceptions of success among 355 scientists and practitioners working on amphibian conservation from over 150 organisations in more than 50 countries. Respondents identified four types of success: species and habitat improvements (84% of respondents); effective programme management (36%); outreach initiatives such as education and public engagement (25%); and the application of science-based conservation (15%). The most significant factor influencing overall perceived success was reducing threats. Capacity building was rated least important. Perceptions were influenced by experience, professional affiliation, involvement in conservation practice, and country of residence. More experienced conservation practitioners associated success with improvements to species and habitats, and less so with education and engagement initiatives. Whilst science-based conservation was rated as important, this factor declined in importance as the number of programmes a respondent participated in increased, particularly amongst those from Less Economically Developed Countries. The ultimate measure of conservation success – population recovery – may be difficult to measure in many amphibians, difficult to relate to the conservation actions intended to drive it, and difficult to achieve within conventional funding timeframes. The relaunched Amphibian Conservation Action Plan provides a framework for capturing lower-level processes and outcomes, identifying gaps, and measuring progress

Top 40 Priorities for Science to Inform US Conservation and Management Policy

To maximize the utility of research to decisionmaking, especially given limited financial resources, scientists must set priorities for their efforts. We present a list of the top 40 high-priority, multidisciplinary research questions directed toward informing some of the most important current and future decisions about management of species, communities, and ecological processes in the United States. The questions were generated by an open, inclusive process that included personal interviews with decisionmakers, broad solicitation of research needs from scientists and policymakers, and an intensive workshop that included scientifically oriented individuals responsible for managing and developing policy related to natural resources. The process differed from previous efforts to set priorities for conservation research in its focus on the engagement of decisionmakers in addition to researchers. The research priorities emphasized the importance of addressing societal context and exploration of trade-offs among alternative policies and actions, as well as more traditional questions related to ecological processes and functions.Keywords: Priority setting, Natural resource management, Ecosystems, Conservation, Decisionmaker

Forest & Wilderness Management

Charlene Coon, Senior Policy Analyst, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, presents Moving Toward Sound Forest Management. Gloria Flora, Executive Director of Sustainable Obtainable Solutions, formerly with the U.S. Forest Service, presents Roadless Areas Revisited, ad infinitum