with Andrew Knight, Angelika Wilhelm

Overcoming barriers to success
in conservation planning
with
Andrew Knight, Angelika Wilhelm-Rechmann
and Amrei von Hase
Conservation success =
champions + appropriate frameworks
Stewardship programme priorities
5-year plan: 2002-2007
Progress: 2003-2007
No. sites: 152
Area (natural): 68 000 ha
5-year plan: 11% overlap
Costs: ca. $3.5 million
Von Hase et al (in prep)
Lowlands Stewardship Project
Fine-scale biophysical assessment
Implementation strategy development
Planning and scheduling
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Pilot project phase
Roll out of stewardship programme
No social assessment (threats, willingness, capacity, costs)
Stewardship assumed to be appropriate instrument
Follows logical framework structure – insufficient opportunities for
learning and changing course
Past Land Use
Present Landscape
The Conservation Planning Process for
Landscape (Re-)design
The Future
Observe /
Monitor
Social
Assessment
Reflect
Implementation
Problem
Definition & Data
Development
Build Future
Scenarios
Designed
Landscape
Mainstreaming
Systematic
Assessment
Planning
Products
Enabling
Implementation
Strategy
Schedule
Action
Stakeholder
Scenarios
& Reflection
Conservation Activity
Assessment
Preferred
Scenarios
Knight, Cowling and Campbell 2006 Conservation Biology 20, 408-419
Planning
Management
Review
2. Transformation mapping
Transformation - 1996
2. Transformation mapping
Transformation - 2001
60
Entire planning domain
Broad process areas only
40
%Total
Area
20
0
Type 1
protected
areas
Type 2
protected
areas
Protected
Type 3
protected
areas
Natural
areas
Natural
grazing
Some reversible transformation
Urban areas, Cultivation
plantations & and heavy
high density
grazing
aliens
Irreversible transformation
STEP conservation planning
Available from http://cpu.uwc.ac.za
From: Rouget, M. et al. . 2006. Designing large-scale conservation corridors for pattern and process. Conservation Biology 20(2): 549-561.
Pierce, S.M. et al. 2005. Systematic conservation planning products for land-use planning: interpretation for implementation. Biological Conservation 125(4): 441-458.
Knight, A.T. et al. 2003. Keeping people on the land in living landscapes. TERU Report 46, University of Port Elizabeth, South Affrica
Knight, Cowling et al (subm)
STEP conservation planning
Available from http://cpu.uwc.ac.za
From: Rouget, M. et al. . 2006. Designing large-scale conservation corridors for pattern and process. Conservation Biology 20(2): 549-561.
Pierce, S.M. et al. 2005. Systematic conservation planning products for land-use planning: interpretation for implementation. Biological Conservation 125(4): 441-458.
Knight, A.T. et al. 2003. Keeping people on the land in living landscapes. TERU Report 46, University of Port Elizabeth, South Affrica
What is Social Marketing ?
The application of commercial marketing
technologies to the analysis, planning,
execution & evaluation of programs
designed to influence the voluntary
behaviour of target audiences in order to
improve their personal welfare and that of
their society.
Operational Model for
Conservation
Project Phase
Assessment
Planning
Management
Implementation Persistence/Resilience
Social
Assessment
Strategy
Learning
Organization
Adaptive
Management
Biophysical
Assessment
Status of
biodiversity/social-ecological
system
Involved
Opportunities
and
Constraints
Mainstreaming
Stakeholder collaboration
Empowered
Representation/Vulnerable
Informed
Regional
Knight , Cowling and Campbell 2006 Conservation Biology 20, 408-419
Cowling et al. 2008 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (in press)
Local
Conclusions
Conservation planning must be socially relevant,
and user-inspired – this will require a transformation
in the way it is done
Research must be embedded in a social process
that leads to implementation
Appropriate operational models can overcome
research-implementation gap
Effective learning organizations are key – can
overcome the champion problem?