Political risk and uncertainty are increasing around the world To be effective, conservation organizations need to manage both risks and opportunities due to political uncertainty. Navigating and Adapting to Political Risk and Uncertainty in Conservation in an age of Coronavirus (2020) This paper discusses the role that Coronavirus has played, and will continue to play, upon the space afforded to civil society as a whole and the context within which conservation organizations operate. Among the most important trends and takeaways are: Drastically Changing Political & Institutional Landscape Tailoring to Context Equality Cognitive Framing & Survival Ways of Working Fieldwork &…

Description: This is an excellent synthesis of lessons learned from a review of past USAID-supported conservation enterprises. The framework for the review was a set of “learning questions” related to the assumptions in a “generic” (i.e. cross-project) theory-of-change. This synthesis and associated reports are useful for teams considering conservation enterprises, and it is a nice example of how theories of change can support learning. Full Citation: Boshoven, Judy. 2017. Conservation Enterprises: Using a Theory of Change Approach to Synthesize Lessons from USAID Biodiversity Projects. USAID Technical Brief. Other reports developed as part of this USAID learning initiative: The Nature of Conservation Enterprises: A…

Description: This is an excellent, dynamic set of materials designed to impart key marketable skills associated with Step 3 Implement of the Conservation Standards. It includes 7 narrated modules tailored to key steps and skills and associated “Stories from the Field” that share real-world experiences from Conservation Standards practitioners. The materials shared available here are part of an overall online curriculum hosted by the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Nelson Institute (link to the course forthcoming). The materials shared available here are part of an overall online curriculum hosted by the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Nelson Institute (link to the course…

A theory of change to directly incentivize villages and others to reduce the threat of wildlife hunting and increase the populations of wildlife had assumptions and results tested over four years in Laos. The study provided evidence that the approach taken was successful and also provided ways to adapt management to achieve even better outcomes. Click here for a short video that puts the study into context. Results chain illustrating the theory of change for a direct payments model for wildlife-based ecotourism strategy. Abstract Ecotourism as a strategy for achieving…

Following on the success of the first edition of Project Management for Wildlife Conservation, WildTeam has released an updated version 2.0, which is available here. WildTeam – a not for profit with the aim of protecting the rapidly disappearing natural assets of Bangladesh – created an OS inspired approach called Project Management for Wildlife Conservation to aid the administrative and workflow aspects of implementing good project management. The approach includes a comprehensive, step-by-step manual for project management, plus associated tools and support templates. The link to the folders containing all the original resources is: PMWC manual v1.0 and the associated…

Following on the success of the first edition of Project Management for Wildlife Conservation, WildTeam has released an updated version 2.0, which is available here. WildTeam – a not for profit with the aim of protecting the rapidly disappearing natural assets of Bangladesh – created an OS inspired approach called Project Management for Wildlife Conservation to aid the administrative and workflow aspects of implementing good project management. The approach includes a comprehensive, step-by-step manual for project management, plus associated tools and support templates. The link to the folders containing all the original resources is: PMWC manual v1.0 and the associated…

This external assessment, commissioned by FOS, provides insight into what the Conservation Standards community needs to do their work better. The intent was to assess how FOS is doing on its Communications and Research, Development, and Innovation strategies. In particular, FOS wanted to understand if the Conservation Standards community was using (and finding valuable) FOS (co)authored materials, what key products the community needs, and what the best ways to reach this audience is. The results are relevant to CMP, CCNet, and all of our members. CItation: Cochrane, Erica. 2019. Survey Report: Products to Support the Open Standards.