Managers drive biodiversity conservation success

By Richard B. Primack

“The outward obstacles which stood in my way were not living men but dead institutions.” 

- Henry David Thoreau in his Journal

While the success of a conservation project is usually determined by comparing different conditions, methods and techniques, the human component also plays surprisingly important role in the outcome of projects. In a recent editorial, we highlight how characteristics of project managers and conservation organizations affect the success of conservation projects and should be included in experimental design.

Figure 1.  Four stages in the restoration of river woodlands invaded by tamarisk
in the Western USA.  A. Tamarisk thicket with native cottonwoods in the background.
B. Bulldozer being used to remove tamarisk plants.  C. Team of scientists and
land managers evaluating a site after treatment.  D. Successfully restored site
with native cottonwood trees. 

We discuss an analysis of 243 restoration projects in the southwestern US. As expected, characteristics like temperature, precipitation, and site treatment were important in the successful recovery of the ecosystem.  However, the human variables explained an even larger percentage of the variability in outcomes.  For example, the more collaborators there were on a project, such as different government agencies, non-profits and scientists, the better the outcomes for plant recovery. In addition, contrary to expectations, the most educated managers had a lower rate of success than managers with less and more applied education. Further, projects of managers who focused on one project at a time rather than multiple jobs were the most successful. 

We argue that including the characteristics of managers and conservation organizations in experimental design could be an important step forward in improving the success of conservation and restoration projects.

Original publication: 
Primack et al. (2021) Manager characteristics drive conservation success. Biological Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109169