Reference or attribution: IUCN SSC (2008). Strategic Planning for Species Conservation: A Handbook. Version 1.0. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN Species Survival Commission.
Redford, K. H., Amato, G., Baillie, J., Beldomenico, P., Bennett, E. L., Clum, N., ... & Thorbjarnarson, J. (2011). What does it mean to successfully conserve a (vertebrate) species?. BioScience, 61(1), 39-48.
Conservation planning step(s) when this would be used: Defining Success
Description of tool use: There is good global consensus on what it means for species to be threatened with extinction. The IUCN’s Red List assessment process provides a transparent and objective way of evaluating this which has been adopted or mirrored by many countries. Beyond removing the risk of near future extinction there is little consensus on what it means to achieve species recovery, though the IUCN’s Green Status Assessment strives for this it is not yet widely adopted. As a result, to provide a clear focus for action, individual projects often need to agree on what it means to successfully recover or conserve the species of interest.
“Visioning” is the process of developing an inspirational statement describing a desired future state for the species or group of species – what it means to the group to “have saved the species”.
The resulting Vision Statement typically includes:
- the desired range and abundance of the species,
- their envisaged ecological role
- and their place in human culture.
Plans and the actions they contain typically focus 5-10-years ahead whereas a Vision Statement may look decades ahead, helping groups think beyond immediate operational challenges and towards a future in which some or all of these have been overcome. In a stakeholder planning workshop a visioning exercise can help diverse groups build early consensus on the conservation outcomes they will all be willing to work towards. Vision Statements are designed to paint a picture that will resonate with diverse audiences. To enhance their practical relevance to the wider plan it can be helpful to “operationalize” them, by taking the themes they encapsulate and defining them in operational terms, along with relevant measures through which progress can be evaluated. Two examples of visioning exercises are given below along with an example of operationalizing a Vision Statement.
Strengths and weaknesses, when to use and interpret with caution:
- In some situations, there may be strong, opposing views on what is a desired future state for the species (e.g. a future with sustainable recreational hunting versus a future where all hunting is forbidden). Visioning exercises such as those described here are relatively brief and are not designed to harmonize deeply felt differences. In such instances they may further polarize views. Other tools or longer, standalone visioning workshops may be more effective at building shared goals in these instances.
- Sometimes there is no appetite for visioning in a group. There is no need to force it. Some groups can plan more effectively in the time available, by moving directly to operational definitions of success.
Experience and expertise required to use the tool: Use of this tool is easily grasped and does not require specialist expertise.
Data requirements: The tool can be applied in data poor situations, though a richer vision and associated set of goals/targets/criteria are created where specific knowledge is available about species biology and behavior, current and historic distribution, abundance, cultural value and so on.
Cost: FREE
Case study: Sanderson Eric W. Sanderson, Kent H. Redford, Bill Weber, Keith Aune, Dick Baldes, Joel Berger, Dave Carter, Charles Curtin, James Derr, Steve Dobrott, Eva Fearn, Craig Fleener, Steve Forrest, Craig Gerlach, C. Cormack Gates, John E. Gross, Peter Gogan, Shaun Grassel, Jodi A. Hilty, Marv Jensen, Kyran Kunkel, Duane Lammers, Rurik List, Karen Minkowski, Tom Olson, Chris Pague, Paul B. Robertson, and Bob Stephenson et al. (2008). The Ecological Future of the North American Bison: Conceiving Long-term, Large-scale Conservation of Wildlife. Cons. Biol. 22(2): 252-266
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Contributor(s) name: Caroline Lees
Affiliation: IUCN SSC CPSG
Email: caroline@gmail.com
Date: June 5, 2024