Data to decisions and actionable science
There is a persistent disconnect between the production of conservation research, the application of this knowledge to policy and decision-making by institutions on the front lines of biodiversity challenges, and the achievement of conservation outcomes. To reduce this loading dock problem, we produce implementable solutions that are science-based and informed by the needs of end-users to bridge the gap between science and practitioners.
We seek to understand what types of scientific strategies and organizational structures best translate conservation science research into useful, socially beneficial outcomes. To do so, we engage partners from all sectors to apply research results to achieve real-world change. As we implement our actionable science model, we study ourselves to improve this approach, increase our success rate, and serve as a scalable model other institutions can apply across the globe.
Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in the corporate sector
The corporate sector has shown a growing commitment to sustainability issues over the past decade. Increasingly, businesses are recognizing the value of natural capital and the importance of conserving the earth’s limited natural resources. In addition, the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15), the Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Nature Positive Initiative are pushing businesses to innovate and adapt in the face of an evolving policy landscape. These changes present opportunities for conservationists to engage with the corporate world to achieve better biodiversity outcomes.
By developing a return on investment approach to conservation, we work to enable companies to quantify their impacts on biodiversity and examine alternative actions that would improve these impacts. Moreover, our work will allow companies to understand the financial costs and benefits associated with activities along their supply chains. As the biodiversity crisis worsens and calls for action from policymakers and the public are increasing, this work is critical for providing an avenue for the private sector to take concrete action to support the natural world.
Knowledge co-production and endangered species recovery
Through partnerships with government agencies and conservation practitioners, we investigate what information policy makers need when designing laws and plans for conservation actions.
A central challenge in conservation is the inequity between global conservation decision making and actions, and rural communities that live in and around areas of conservation importance who tend to bear the costs of conservation but receive few of the benefits. We aim to engage in co-production and community science with these communities to more equitably distribute conservation benefits.
We work to include knowledge that has historically been excluded from conservation science to push the discipline toward more effective biodiversity conservation. By linking diverse knowledges to actions, we study methods for effectively and respectfully bridging knowledge systems.
Broadening diversity and inclusion in science and conservation
Understanding the role nature plays in sustaining life is critical to the planet’s survival, but many sectors of society are increasingly disconnected from nature. The social inequality created by this lack of exposure and information about ecosystems has broad implications for the future of our planet. We develop innovative education programs aimed at broadening diversity in biodiversity science.