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Gaps and mismatches between global conservation priorities and spending
Benjamin S Halpern1, Christopher R Pyke, Helen E Fox
1National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA. balpern@nceas.ucsb.edu
Summary
Global conservation priority maps show limited influence on organizational spending. A review of five organizations found that while priority areas received more funding, the maps explained only a small fraction of expenditures, indicating potential inefficiencies.
Area of Science:
- Conservation Science
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Environmental Economics
Background:
- International conservation organizations increasingly use global priority maps to direct conservation efforts and funding.
- A lack of financial tracking by organizations with priority models prevents direct evaluation of their influence on spending.
- Previous assessments of conservation spending have not systematically audited global patterns relative to stated priorities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the spending patterns of five major biodiversity conservation organizations lacking published global priority models.
- To investigate the extent to which global priority maps influence conservation expenditure.
- To identify potential gaps and mismatches in global conservation spending.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of conservation spending data from five large biodiversity conservation organizations.
- Comparison of spending patterns against existing global conservation priority areas.
- Statistical analysis to determine the proportion of spending explained by priority models, with adjustments for country wealth (GDP per capita) and the inclusion/exclusion of the United States.
Main Results:
- Countries with designated priority areas generally received higher conservation investments.
- Global prioritization systems explained only 2-32% of the analyzed US$1.5 billion in conservation spending in 2002.
- Limited overlap was observed in the spending patterns of the evaluated organizations, suggesting uncoordinated or segregated efforts.
Conclusions:
- Global priority maps have a modest influence on conservation spending, with significant portions of funds allocated outside these priorities.
- There is a need for greater transparency in priority setting by organizations without current models and improved spending tracking by those with models.
- Enhanced clarity and tracking are crucial for optimizing the efficiency of limited conservation funds and improving global conservation outcomes.
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