Five lessons for avoiding failure when scaling in conservation

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Ecology
• Environmental Management

Background:

• Numerous initiatives to scale up conservation actions have fallen short, leading to unintended harm or abandonment.
• These failures impede progress in mitigating biodiversity loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To encourage a pause and reflection on past scaling efforts in conservation.
• To identify key lessons learned from previous attempts to scale conservation actions.
• To propose strategies for more effective and responsible scaling of conservation.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of evidence and concepts from diverse scientific fields.
• Exploration of interconnections between previously isolated concepts related to conservation scaling.
• Analysis of five critical lessons derived from past scaling experiences.

Main Results:

• The overall impact of conservation actions is a function of both effectiveness and scalability.
• Conservation effectiveness can vary significantly with scale due to multiple factors.
• Socio-ecological conditions, influenced by feedback processes, affect future adoption of conservation practices.
• The pursuit of scaling can inadvertently promote detrimental practices, compromising long-term conservation outcomes.
• Monitoring scaling efforts is vital for adaptive management, reporting, and research.

Conclusions:

• Reflecting on five key lessons can guide the responsible scaling of effective conservation actions.
• Effective scaling is essential for achieving the interconnected goals of reversing biodiversity loss, combating climate change, and supporting human wellbeing.