ICCS at ICCB 2019

Monday 10.00-11.30

Room 2

Talk: How to grow your project impact, measure it, and still do what you love. Assessing the impact of the Whitley Awards over 25 years

Abstract:

The session will present the results of the Whitley Fund for Nature’s 25 year Impact Assessment undertaken in 2018. The assessment sought to evaluate the effect winning a Whitley Award can have on winners’ project and career trajectory and gather views from the conservation sector about the organisation using both quantitative and qualitative surveys and semi-structured interviews. This talk will be of interest to anyone wanting to conduct an impact assessment or improve their organisation’s own monitoring & evaluation, whether a funder or grantee.

Tuesday 14.30-16.00 

Room 5

Symposium: Conservation  Optimism: Celebrating  what works in  conservation to  empower emerging  conservationists

Wednesday 24 July, 13:30‐14:30 (lunchtime session),

Room 4
Workshop:

Communicating the concept of species recovery: Translating the terminology of the IUCN Green List of Species (Molly Grace, E.J. Milner-Gulland, Mike Hoffmann)

The three components of species recovery as defined by the Green List framework

Abstract:

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has been working to develop a Green List of Species, which will be a standardised way to measure species recovery and the impact of conservation actions. The scientific consultations to develop the Green List will soon conclude, after which time it will be crucial to disseminate the framework and guidance widely. Effective dissemination will require considering how the Green List can provide region-specific benefits, as well as how intuitively the concepts of the Green List are understood. In this workshop, we will present the key concepts and outputs of the Green List framework. We have already identified the types of situations where these outputs could be useful (recovery planning, recognizing conservation contributions even when species status is deteriorating, demonstrating conservation dependence, etc.). In this workshop we will solicit regional case studies where these outputs would be helpful and the ways they could be best communicated. We will also use this time to identify gaps in audience understanding to improve future communication of the method.

Project website for the IUCN Green List of Species

Journal article describing the framework of the IUCN Green List of Species

Thursday 25 July at 14:30-16:00

Room 3

The Discussion Group – Conservation Optimism: Rethinking how to communicate conservation science effectively

Thursday 25 July at 17:15

Room KLCC Plenary Theater, Level 3.

Distinguished Service Award: recognizes individuals, groups or institutions for distinguished service in any field associated with conservation biology and whose work has furthered the mission of SCB.

• Professor E.J. Milner-Gulland: Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity; Director, Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science; Fellow of Merton College at the University of Oxford. Awarded for her incredible leadership and innovation in conservation science, practice, policy and capacity building on a global scale.

I’ll be staffing the Conservation Optimism booth at ICCB.

Booth #4016. Come and find out what conservationists have got to be optimistic about, speak to grass roots conservationists about their successful programmes, be inspired, and find out why you need to join the Conservation Optimism movement.

I will also be showcasing some of our Optimistic saiga programmes on the booth.

Plenary Room.

Social Science 2

Oral presentation: New Publishing Models in Academic Research.

Monday

19:00‐21:00

Joint social from Conservation Marketing and Social Science Working Groups: Tujo Bar-sserie & Grill ( No.9 Jalan Pinang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tuesday

10:00-11:30

Room 6

Symposium: Reducing demand for illegal wildlife products through evidence‐based behavior change interventions (Organizer)

11:45‐13:15

Room tbc

Symposium Conservation culturomics – harnessing the digital revolution to gain insights on human‐nature interactions

Monday, 10.00-11.30 

Room 12

Symposium: Research ethics in conservation: improving practice when working with people. Oral presentation:

Oral presentation:

The path ahead for ethical research in conservation.

Abstract:

Social research methods that gather information from human participants are increasingly being used in conservation research. As documented by previous talks in this symposia, the use of these methods give rise to ethical issues which are often inadequately considered by conservationists. While the types of ethical challenges that occur during social research are by no means unique to conservation science, our science does face a unique combination of challenges, and unlike other disciplines, lacks formal guidance on how best to navigate these.

This is particularly problematic because conservation is an applied discipline that aims to have real-world impacts that often affect people’s lives and wellbeing. Compared to other disciplines conservationists often lack adequate ethical training, and are ill-equipped to grapple with ethical conundrums when they occur. Here, we draw on the approaches to ethics from more established social science disciplines, such as anthropology and development studies, and briefly review the policies implemented to ensure research best practice. We consider what conservation science can learn from each. We will then open the floor to a discussion on possible paths forward for conservation, and hope to engage those interested in developing conservation specific guidelines on how to conduct ethically robust research.

11.45-13.15, Monday

Room 3  

“advocacy and engagement 1” session.

Oral presentation:

Communicating conservation contagions in theory and practice

Abstract:

Information flows are a fundamental component of interventions aiming to promote new conservation behaviours. However, unlike other behaviour-change disciplines such as public health or marketing, conservation has paid little attention to this aspect of intervention design. Information transferred directly to individuals is necessary to ‘seed’ or initiate behavioural changes, but in most cases, targets will receive conservation messages indirectly as they spread through interpersonal communication. For a new behaviour to become widespread beyond initial seeds (i.e. to become a social norm), social influence is critical, and adopters will require information about the behaviour and opinions of their peers. Understanding the structure of social groups (e.g. using social network analysis) can therefore improve intervention design. Drawing on the literature from other disciplines, we provide an overview of some of the possibilities for research and practice. For example, targeting communications to highly-connected hubs to leverage their reach or connecting distinct community groupings to enable more effective collective action. After introducing these concepts, we provide a case study using data from a real conservation intervention in Cambodia. In combination with a social network analysis we use before-after measurements of knowledge and variables from the Theory of Planned Behaviour, and record self-reported communication, to describe information flows and test their effect on changing attitudes, norms, and behavioral intentions.

Title: Conservation publications and their provisions to protect research participants

Time: 10.00-11.30am Monday 29th July 2019

Harriet will be speaking at 10.15

Location: Room 12

I’ll be presenting research conducted by myself and fellow ICCS member Steph Brittain. Social science methods are increasingly being applied in conservation research. However, the conservation sector has recieved criticism for inadequate application of ethical rigour when research involves people, particularly when investigating sensitive or illegal topics. Here, we present the results from a systematic review which aimed to investigate a) journal’s ethical policies when publishing research that involves human participants, and b) the ethical safeguards reported on by authors in conservation articles.

This talk is part of a wider symposium on human research ethics in conservation other talks include ethical challenges encountered during fieldwork, alongside the ethics of collecting images of people in camera traps. If your research considers people in any capacity, please consider joining our symposia to explore how we can improve conservation research.

Follow us on Twitter:  @HarrietIbbett @StephBrittain

14.30 -16.00 on Tuesday 23rd.

Room 11

Symposium:

“Mainstreaming behaviour change science in conservation”.

I’ll be the final speaker so 15.30 to 15.45 and my talk will be titled “Future opportunities and challenges for mainstreaming behaviour change science in conservation”.

Session abstract:

Biodiversity rich countries are increasingly facing competing challenges of economic development and poverty reduction, producing sufficient food to feed their populations, and contributing to global efforts to tackle climate change and biodiversity conservation goals. Navigating these tradeoffs requires altering the trajectory of human behaviour, away from over-consumption and over-exploitation of the natural world, and towards solutions that enable people to live sustainably with nature. Yet despite a long history of interventions aiming to change human behaviour, conservation science and practice has yet to live up to its potential, with an historical over-reliance on financial incentives and environmental education. However, recognition of this fact is slowly changing, with increasing numbers of conservation programmes looking to mirror the advances made through incorporating behavioural science in other sectors, such as public health, development and social marketing. In this symposium, we will explore how insights from social psychology and behavioural economics can be applied to conservation issues, look at examples where behavioural science and policy are being used to impact conservation outcomes and address some of the future opportunities and challenges that mainstreaming behaviour change science into conservation will present.

Talk abstract:

From the enforcement of regulations to the use of financial incentives, the conservation sector uses a wide range of approaches to influence human decision-making and promote pro-conservation behaviour. Despite this, progress towards international conservation targets remains slow. As a result, there is an urgent need to learn from other sectors that regularly apply insights from the behavioural sciences to produce change at scales large enough to leave meaningful impacts. In this final talk of the symposium, we will explore the opportunities and challenges for mainstreaming behaviour change science in conservation. This will include using behavioural interventions to kickstart endogenous change and a discussion of the ethical implications of implementing such interventions.

Part of ‘Marine Conservation 1’

Room 10

No net loss for sharks and people? Towards a risk-based framework for feasible, equitable shark fisheries management

Sharks are amongst the world’s most threatened species. Their slow life history traits and vulnerability to capture make them susceptible to overfishing; while global demand for shark products maintains a profitable industry for exploitation. This is exacerbated by limited management and the socio-economic vulnerability of small-scale shark fisheries. To date, much shark research has focused on life-history (biological) and operational fisheries (technical) factors that influence overfishing. However, shark mortality reduction is more than a biological and technical issue – it entails changing fisher behaviour in a socio-economically important industry. Acknowledging this, I apply an innovate framework for risk-based least-cost nature conservation – the mitigation hierarchy (MH) – to shark fisheries management. I take a holistic approach to risk, including biological, technical and social factors. I review technical management measures, and discuss why technical fixes alone may fail. Finally, I explore how the MH could be used as a flexible framework for shark fisheries management decision-making, and how incentives could be used in different fishery contexts to ensure that management is feasible, equitable and effectively changes fisher behaviour. This is important in the context of increasing international regulation of shark trade, which must lead to reductions in shark mortality, whilst appropriately managing trade-offs between conservation and livelihoods.

Wednesday, 24th at 10-11.30 

Part of the ‘(Conservation) Traditions Beyond Boundaries’ Symposium

Room 4

Hollie’s talk will be at 10.30:

Title: The role of culture in shaping shark conservation in the coral triangle:  challenges, opportunities and ways forward

Abstract: It is widely acknowledged that working with local communities is an enabler of conservation success, and a moral obligation in and of itself. Similarly, the importance of understanding human behaviour, and the associated social norms that drive behaviour, is recognised in marine management literature. However, a focus on biological and technical fixes persists across many realms of marine management, and this narrow focus may be unsuited to the complexities and empirical realities of many contemporary management problems. In particular, shark conservation, which is a socio-economically complex issue. In an attempt to break down disciplinary boundaries, and elucidate the importance of a people-centered perspective for shark conservation, I present several case studies on the role of culture in shaping shark conservation in the coral triangle. These case studies include examples of positive and negative impacts of culture on shark conservation; and cases of endurance and adaption to change, in the face of globalization and commercialization. I discuss some of the challenges faced by conservation practitioners in these contexts; some of the opportunities offered through working with existing norms and institutions; and some practical ways forward to better incorporate culture and other salient social factors in to shark management decision-making.

Room 6

Talk Title:  Saiga Horn Medicine in Singapore: An Evidence‐Based Behavioural Intervention

Symposium:  Reducing demand for illegal wildlife products through evidence‐based behavior change interventions

Abstract:  The process of conducting a full-scale behavioural intervention utilising a public-health framework. From baseline data collection, through intervention design, implementation, and evaluation: what is involved in this multi-stage operation, and how interdisciplinary theories and techniques from social psychology and information spreading literature can be integrated.

I’ll be staffing the Conservation Optimism booth at ICCB.

Booth #4016. Come and find out what conservationists have got to be optimistic about, speak to grass roots conservationists about their successful programmes, be inspired, and find out why you need to join the Conservation Optimism movement.

Also, find out more about our Conservation Optimism summit this September and how you can register for tickets during ICCB.

Tuesday 14.30-16.00 

Room 5

Symposium: Conservation  Optimism: Celebrating  what works in  conservation to  empower emerging  conservationists

Thursday 25 July at 14:30-16:00

Room 3

The Discussion Group – Conservation Optimism: Rethinking how to communicate conservation science effectively

Monday 22nd 10:00 ‐ 11:30 

Room 7

Advancing private sector biodiversity accountability.

Tuesday 23rd July, 13:30 – 14:30

Room 3

Workshop: “Achieving sound economic conservation decisions through population ecology”

Abstract: “The demography of a species (its rates of survival, development, and reproduction), together with economic factors that affect its management, are two of the fundamental pillars in the preservation/eradication of endangered/invasive species. In this workshop, participants will be taught (1) key principles in population ecology and environmental economics, and (2) how knowledge of species’ demography and the economic factors affecting management can help build, parameterise, analyse and interpret plans for optimal conservation decisions. We will review and teach participants how to obtain key quantities such as 1) population growth rates, 2) extinction risk, and 3) economic elasticities.”

Wednesday 24th July, 17:30-19:00

Plenary room

Oral presentation. Title: “What motivates fisher‐sea lion conflict in Chile & Peru?”

Abstract:

“Human–wildlife conflicts are escalating worldwide. These conflicts typically have negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem service provision, and human welfare. In Chile and Peru, two of the world’s biggest fishing nations, there is escalating conflict between artisanal fishers and sea lions (Otaria Byronia), which are a protected species. Sea lions can reduce fishers’ catch ~10‑15% and heavily damage fishing gear. In response to these losses, there is evidence that fishers poison or shoot sea lions—directly impacting sea lion population dynamics. Our aim in this research was to identify the key motivations behind fishers’ conflict with sea lions, and learn what fishers perceive are the best management solutions to this conflict. We surveyed 300 net fishers along the coasts of Peru and Chile using a best-worst scaling (BWS) methodology. We find that the key motivation behind fisher’s conflict with sea lions are increased economic costs and decreased profits. However, concerns for personal safety, general alarm at the increase in sea lion populations and concern about the need to seek alternative employment also play a role. Fishers also perceive that their interactions with sea lions have significantly increased over the past 80 years. Our results provide timely insight into the best ways to manage fisher–sea lion conflict into the future.”

Check out more about this research here: https://www.katrinajdavis.com/research

Twitter: @KatrinaJDavis

Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes

Molly Grace

Wednesday 24 July, 13:30‐14:30 (lunchtime session)

Room 4
Workshop:

Communicating the concept of species recovery: Translating the terminology of the IUCN Green List of Species (Molly Grace, E.J. Milner-Gulland, Mike Hoffmann)

Abstract:

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has been working to develop a Green List of Species, which will be a standardised way to measure species recovery and the impact of conservation actions. The scientific consultations to develop the Green List will soon conclude, after which time it will be crucial to disseminate the framework and guidance widely. Effective dissemination will require considering how the Green List can provide region-specific benefits, as well as how intuitively the concepts of the Green List are understood. In this workshop, we will present the key concepts and outputs of the Green List framework. We have already identified the types of situations where these outputs could be useful (recovery planning, recognizing conservation contributions even when species status is deteriorating, demonstrating conservation dependence, etc.). In this workshop we will solicit regional case studies where these outputs would be helpful and the ways they could be best communicated. We will also use this time to identify gaps in audience understanding to improve future communication of the method.

Project website for the IUCN Green List of Species

Journal article describing the framework of the IUCN Green List of Species

Twitter: @mollykgrace, #SpeciesGreenList

Time & Date: 16:00-17:30 on 22nd and 23rd respectively and 17:30-19:00 on the 24th.

Room: Exhibit Hall

Title: Poster: Understanding  spatio-temporal variation and climate-driven distribution shifts in transmission potential of disease to inform adaptive management.

Abstract:

Climate change is a conservation challenge. One impact will be disease emergence, especially Gastro-intestinal Nematodes(GINs) as part of their life-history is governed by the environment.GINs are determinants of fitness and susceptibility to other diseases in wild/domestic species.>One-third of the world’s land is used by nearly 3 billion of it’s poor(<$2/day) to rear livestock. GIN transmission between livestock and wildlife affects livelihoods and conservation. We are investigating climate-driven numerical and functional changes to GINs. We have generated global maps of R0, i.e. expected number of secondary individuals produced by an adult during its lifetime given suitable environment, using daily climate dataset from 1950 to 2050.Model architecture allows to zoom into finer spatial scales if climate data is present.This shows seasonal and long-term variation in GIN transmission potential. Also, we have generated global maps of R0T, i.e. R0 when precipitation is above limiting threshold to delimit precipitation-limited transmission areas(R0T/R0 is >1). By comparing these metrics across space and time, we are in the process of delimiting places with likelihood of GIN emergence and global changes in GIN transmission potential.We are validating outputs using published and acquired data from various parts of the world via collaboration. Our research can be used by managers to delimit areas with likely changes in GIN transmission to facilitate proactive management.

Monday 22nd 10:00 ‐ 11:30 

Room 7

Title: A framework to guide the selection and use of robust and relevant biodiversity indicators for business

Abstract:

Forward thinking businesses are beginning to see biodiversity as both a risk and opportunity to their operations, and are seeking ways to assess their biodiversity performance. A variety of initiatives are emerging that provide metrics, tools, and guidance documents to support the development and use of biodiversity indicators for specific business contexts. However, most of these initiatives inadequately account for the wider context, and fail to encourage a robust process to guide the use or development of fit-for-purpose indicators across different business applications.

Drawing on prominent conservation and business decision-making systems (e.g., structured decision-making and the plan-do- check-act cycle), a framework is proposed to help businesses seeking to use or develop their own indicators to measure their biodiversity performance. The propose framework emphasizes that indicators must be built into larger management processes, with initial scoping phases being critical for indicator development answering questions that clarify the business application for indicator use and corporate biodiversity objectives. Examples are provided to demonstrate how the framework can be applied to a variety of business contexts to support both internal decision-making and external disclosure to regulators, financial institutions, and against voluntary reporting standards.

Speakers:

Prue Addison: A process to guide development of biodiversity indicators for corporate applications

Tom Smith: Corporate reporting and conservation realities: understanding differences in what businesses say and do regarding biodiversity

Joe Bull: Evaluating the avoidance of biodiversity impacts leading to ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity by private sector actors across multiple socio-ecological systems

Dan Miller: Three opportunities for cross-sector collaboration to account for biodiversity in business activities

Samuel Sinclair: The Conservation Hierarchy; developing a framework that unifies the  private, public and NGO sectors under the Convention on Biological  Diversity

Time & date: 11:45 on Wednesday 24 July

Location: Meeting rooms 403- 404, Level 4.

Speed talk in the “Marine Conservation” session

Sunken worlds: The past and future of human-made reefs in marine conservation

Abstract:

Structures submerged in the sea by humans over millennia provide hard and longstanding evidence of anthropogenic influence in the marine environment. Many of these human-made reefs (HMRs) may provide opportunities for conservation despite having been created for different purposes such as fishing or tourism. In the midst of controversy around the costs and benefits of HMRs, a broad analysis of biodiversity and social values is necessary to assess conservation potential. This requires: (1) reframing HMRs as social-ecological systems, moving beyond comparisons with “natural” coral or rocky reefs to consider their roles as ecosystems in their own right, (2) creating frameworks to track their type, number, size, units, location, characteristics, origins, social uses and associated biodiversity locally and worldwide, and (3) applying systematic assessment of conservation benefits in relation to stated conservation intentions. This integrative approach can catalyse learning, identify conservation opportunities, and inform positive management of HMRs into the future.

Monday 22nd. 11:45-13:15

Room 2

Session: Adaptive management and monitoring 1

Oral Presentation: Ranger‐based monitoring of elephant poaching in Zimbabwe: a case study of uncertainty in conservation monitoring.

Globally, thousands of wildlife rangers operate in challenging environments at the frontline of conservation. Their perceptions and lived experiences are important both ethically and practically. Furthermore, rangers regularly encounter evidence of illegal activity while on patrol (elephant carcasses, poacher spoor, etc.). This evidence is important for tracking changes in illegal activity over time and evaluating the effectiveness of management interventions. Patrols, however, are often non-random in space and time, leading to potentially biased conclusions. This research poster is based on ranger-based monitoring of the illegal killing of elephants in the Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe. First, I present statistical models of the spatial distribution of elephant carcasses detected by rangers while on patrol (591 carcass records over 17 years). Both ranger patrol patterns and underlying poaching dynamics contributed to predicted hotspots of poaching and Results accounting for patrol bias led to significantly different conclusions about where poaching happens. Next, I present qualitative insights into ranger working conditions and perceptions of monitoring duties (22 semi-structured interviews). Rangers reported diverse challenges linked to working in remote areas far from family, and generally were not aware of how the poaching data they collect were used by their superiors. This provides insight into how rangers might be more meaningfully engaged in the monitoring and management of illegal activity.