Conservation Strategies

Conservation Coaches Network New Coach Training Conservation Strategies Pathways to Success

What Is The Question? Strategies What intervention or combination of interventions will restore the target(s) or reduce a threat(s)?

Key Points to Introduce This Step Strategies Conservation strategy Suite of actions designed to: Enhance viability of a target – GOAL Abate a critical threat - OBJECTIVE Remember: Goals -- based on Viability assessment Threat Abatement Objectives -- informed by threat ratings

Key Points to Introduce This Step Strategies Core Concepts Goals and Objectives – What you want to accomplish Strategies – How you are going to get there

Key Points to Introduce This Step Strategies Goals & Objectives are key to shifting to solution-focused thinking!

Key Points to Introduce This Step Strategies Developing Strategies builds on all the work and good thinking you have done before Goal= destination Threat= definition and scale of problem Situation analysis = understanding of situation and points of intervention Strategy= solution

Strategies Key Points to Introduce This Step The job is to get the “colors” in the Viability and Threat tables from Red & Yellow to Green – often a life’s journey 3 to 5 well-crafted Strategies = a lot of work!!!

Key Points to Introduce This Step Strategies Complex Projects & Problems require a suite of strategies: E.g., halt overfishing & dredging (threats) to save reef (target)? Strategies…… • Do you need to demonstrate alternative fishing practices? • Does policy need to change? • Do you need communication/education to provide pressure from consumers or information for policy makers? • Do you need to engage influential partners in a strategic alliance?

CriticalQuestions Strategies • Focus on the goal – is it specific? • How about the threat abatement Objective? Clear? Sufficient? • Do the goal and threat abatement objective provide a CLEAR picture of the “destination”?

CriticalQuestions Strategies Will the strategies taken together Accomplish the Goal? Abate the threat?

Common Issues & Recommendations Strategies Issue: What about the terminology? • Different organizations have slightly different terms for same things. Don’t sweat it! • The terms are always flexible – team can make up their own words! • Team needs to understand the concepts

Common Issues & Recommendations Strategies Issue: Team lacks critical information to form clear goals and threat abatement objectives: Use “TBD” or describe in visual language ( ) the level of threat reduction or ecological status we hope to achieve. • Finding the answer becomes Activity #1 --a research priority

Common Issues & Recommendations Strategies Issue: Long time horizon to achieve goals & objectives? • Goals and Threat abatement Objectives are usually longer term – the time it will take to get to the destination • Interim objectives usually shorter term - steps along the way

Common Issues & Recommendations Strategies Issue: What about strategies to address “Medium” threats or to secure “Very Good” viability? “Low hanging fruit” (easy and/or inexpensive strategies) are OK: • If they can lead us to another higher leveraged strategy, strengthen or build critical alliance • If we suspect that the threat will get much worse (e.g., invasive species) • If a threat has a low probability of occurrence but potential for catastrophic impact (e.g. massive oil spill)

Common Issues & Recommendations Strategies Issue: What about developing strategies when you have potentially conflicting objectives? • Remember - A shared vision can help with weighing options! • More than ever - The process of decision making must be completely transparent and as collaborative as possible. • Some teams are using sophisticated modeling tools to illuminate the potential trade-offs of different options. E.g. • InVEST • ECOSAUT • Marxan with Zones • Landscape Forecasting

Common Issues & Recommendations Strategies Issue: Way too many strategies • Agree to a set of evaluation criteria and evaluate and prioritize (e.g., benefits, feasibility, cost, risk?) • Seek peer review

Common Issues & Recommendations Strategies Issue: How much detail do we need initially? • Don’t expect a team to know everything that they will need to do to complete every strategy. Actions (activities) evolve and build on experience. • Do urge teams to think about a few “next steps” to at least get “the ball rolling”

Helpful Hints Strategies Do everything you can to ensure that at this step the team includes: • Good strategic thinkers • People with conservation experience related to the threats you face • People with knowledge of the stakeholders and needs of people in the community. There is no substitute for having the “right” mix of “brains” involved in this step.

Helpful Hints Strategies • Gather the team in a quiet place away from their daily workspace. • Have their situation analysis information on hand • Develop a clear goal and threat objective • Remember: the act of thinking about Goals and Objectives is key to shifting to solution-focused thinking!

Helpful Hints Strategies • Encourage real brainstorming! • Encourage teams to “think out of the box” and retain their list of ideas, before zeroing in on the set they will execute • Mix the people up, get them up, consider ways to stimulate creative thinking • Question those strategies that seem like “same old thing they always do” • Bring good candy

Helpful Hints Strategies • Probe, probe, probe... the sources of stress, potential underlying causes, possible opportunities • Who stands to gain or lose if you achieve this objective? • Who are the key actors? • What motivates them? • What do they need to do (or not do)?

Helpful Hints Strategies • Results chain models can both test the logic of your team’s strategies and can show where actions and activities are needed in their plan • Miradi is great for holding results chains, but it may be easier for teams to use post-its, flip charts or PowerPoint slides to present strategies in a workshop setting

Conservation Strategies