Development as a Conservation Tool: Evaluating Ecological, Economic, Attitudinal, and Behavioural Outcomes

What is the aim of the review?
To systematically collate and synthesise published and unpublished evidence in order to identify the characteristics of conservation projects that lead to successful ecological, economic, behavioral, and attitudinal outcomes and to determine the quality and quantity of monitoring efforts in the field. To achieve this, five questions were addressed:

  • To what extent do studies evaluate multiple measures of success?
  • Do greater levels of utilization of natural resources and lower levels of protectionism lead to success in all outcome measures?
  • Do conservation projects that facilitate increased market integration result in success for all outcome measures?
  • Does greater local input in conservation decisions and greater community control over programs lead to success in all outcome measures?
  • Are more culturally homogeneous communities associated with more successful projects with respect to all outcome measures?

Who's in the review team?

At what stage is the review?
This review is now complete.

What is the rationale?
In the past 25 years, using development as a conservation tool has become central to policy, and various strategies for linking conservation to development have become prominent. This reflects the recognition of the importance of local support for conservation and the associated assumption that conservation ultimately depends on development and vice versa. Despite sound arguments both for and against the effectiveness of these strategies, there have been few quantitative comparative evaluations of their successes and failures. As the focus on, and funding towards, conservation and development projects increases, it is essential that the paradigm be more rigorously examined.

How were the results obtained?
A number of electronic databases were searched for information using a range of search terms. Internet searches were conducted in order to retrieve any relevant grey literature. In addition, the bibliographies of relevant articles were examined for useful references. 24 references were accepted into the final review having met all inclusion criteria.

What did the review find?
To read more about this review, its findings, and the implications for conservationists and researchers, please see the Summary or Full Report.

Comments?
If you would like to comment on any aspect of this review, please email us. Your feedback is appreciated.

Document Links

- Summary   

- Protocol protocol   

- Systematic Review    

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