An evidence assessment tool for ecosystem services and conservation studies

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Conservation Biology
• Ecosystem Services Research

Background:

• Reliability of scientific findings is crucial for decision-making, particularly in environmental management.
• Evidence-based practice, developed in medicine, was later adopted in conservation but lacks study-level assessment guidelines.
• Assessing individual study evidence is vital for synthesizing confidence in research findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a tool for assessing the strength of evidence in ecosystem services and conservation studies.
• To provide guidelines for evaluating the quality and reliability of scientific research in environmental fields.
• To enhance the foundation for evidence-based environmental management.

Main Methods:

• Development of a tool comprising a hierarchy of evidence based on study design.
• Inclusion of a critical-appraisal checklist to evaluate research implementation quality.
• Application and illustration of the tool using 13 case examples.

Main Results:

• A practical tool has been developed to systematically assess the strength of evidence in conservation and ecosystem services research.
• The tool integrates study design hierarchy and critical appraisal for comprehensive evaluation.
• Demonstrated utility through 13 illustrative examples.

Conclusions:

• The developed tool provides a framework for assessing the reliability of scientific studies in environmental management.
• Implementation of this tool can lead to more rigorous and evidence-based conservation and ecosystem services practices.
• Further steps are suggested to advance evidence-based environmental management through improved study assessment.