What Works in Conservation 2020

Is prescribed burning in grasslands beneficial for bird conservation?
Does livestock exclusion from degraded peatlands benefit peatland conservation?
Is the provision of artificial shelters effective for subtidal benthic invertebrate conservation?
Do wind turbine modifications reduce bat fatalities?
Does adding topsoil increase the abundance of heathland plants?
Are interventions to reduce road impacts on amphibians effective?
Do herbicides control invasive parrot's feather?
What Works in Conservation has been created to provide practitioners with answers to these and many other questions about practical conservation. This book provides an assessment of the effectiveness of conservation interventions based on summarized scientific evidence. The 2020 edition contains new material on mammals, birds, marine benthic invertebrates, bat conservation and wetlands. Other chapters cover practical global conservation of primates, peatlands, shrublands and heathlands, management of captive animals as well as an extended chapter on control of freshwater invasive species, the global conservation of amphibians, bats, birds and forests, conservation of European farmland biodiversity and some aspects of enhancing natural pest control, enhancing soil fertility and control of freshwater invasive species. It contains key results from the summarized evidence for each conservation intervention and an assessment of the effectiveness of each by international expert panels. The accompanying website www.conservationevidence.com describes each of the studies individually, and provides full references.
William J. Sutherland, Lynn V. Dicks, Silviu O. Petrovan and Rebecca K. Smith (eds) | December2020
ISBN Hardback: 9781783748341
ISBN Digital (PDF): 9781783748358
ISBN Digital ebook (epub): 9781783748365
ISBN Digital ebook (mobi): 9781783748372
ISBN Digital (XML): 9781783748389
DOI: 10.11647/OBP.0191
BIC: RNKC (Conservation of the environment), RNKH (Conservation of wildlife and habitats), RND (Environmental policy and protocols); BISAC: NAT010000 (Ecology), NAT011000 (Environmental Conservation & Protection), SCI026000 (Environmental Science), NAT000000 (NATURE / General), SCI000000 (SCIENCE / General); OCLC Number: 1227382550.
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Introduction Download
William J. Sutherland, Lynn V. Dicks, Nancy Ockendon, Silviu O. Petrovan and Rebecca K. Smith
Who is What Works in Conservation for?
1. AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION Download
Rebecca K. Smith, Helen Meredith and William J. Sutherland
1.1 Threat: Residential and commercial development
1.2 Threat: Agriculture
1.3 Threat: Energy production and mining
1.4 Threat: Transportation and service corridors
1.5 Threat: Biological resource use
1.6 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance
1.7 Threat: Natural system modifications
1.8 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species
1.9 Threat: Pollution
1.10 Threat: Climate change and severe weather
1.11 Habitat protection
1.12 Habitat restoration and creation
1.13 Species management
1.14 Education and awareness raising
2. BAT CONSERVATION Download
Anna Berthinussen, Olivia C. Richardson and John D. Altringham
2.1 Threat: Residential and commercial development
2.2 Threat: Agriculture
2.3 Threat: Energy production
2.4 Threat: Transportation and service corridors
2.5 Threat: Biological resource use
2.6 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance
2.7 Threat: Natural system modifications
2.8 Threat: Invasive or problematic species and disease
2.9 Threat: Pollution
2.10 Threat: Climate change and severe weather
2.11 Habitat protection
2.12 Habitat restoration and creation
2.13 Species management
2.14 Education and awareness raising
3. BIRD CONSERVATION Download
David R. Williams, Matthew F. Child, Lynn V. Dicks, Nancy Ockendon, Robert G. Pople, David A. Showler, Jessica C. Walsh, Erasmus K. H. J. zu Ermgassen and William J. Sutherland
3.1 Habitat protection
3.2 Education and awareness raising
3.3 Threat: Residential and commercial development
3.4 Threat: Agriculture
3.5 Threat: Energy production and mining
3.6 Threat: Transportation and service corridors
3.7 Threat: Biological resource use
3.8 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance
3.9 Threat: Natural system modifications
3.10 Habitat restoration and creation
3.11 Threat: Invasive alien and other problematic species
3.12 Threat: Pollution
3.13 Threat: Climate change, extreme weather and geological events
3.14 General responses to small/declining populations
3.15 Captive breeding, rearing and releases (ex situ conservation)
4. FARMLAND CONSERVATION Download
Lynn V. Dicks, Joscelyne E. Ashpole, Juliana Dänhardt, Katy James, Annelie Jönsson, Nicola Randall, David A. Showler, Rebecca K. Smith, Susan Turpie, David R. Williams and William J. Sutherland
4.1 All farming systems
4.2 Arable farming
4.3 Perennial (non-timber) crops
4.4 Livestock farming
4.5 Threat: Residential and commercial development
4.6 Threat: Agri-chemicals
4.7 Threat: Transport and service corridors
4.8 Threat: Hunting and trapping (for pest control, food or sport)
4.9 Threat: Natural system modification
4.10 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species
4.11 Threat: Education and awareness
5. FOREST CONSERVATION Download
Har’el Agra, Simon Schowanek, Yohay Carmel, Rebecca K. Smith and Gidi Ne’eman
5.1 Threat: Residential and commercial development
5.2 Threat: Agriculture
5.3 Threat: Transport and service corridors
5.4 Threat: Biological resource use
5.5 Habitat protection
5.6 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species
5.7 Threat: Pollution
5.8 Threat: Climate change and severe weather
5.9 Habitat protection
5.10 Habitat restoration and creation
5.11 Actions to improve survival and growth rate of planted trees
5.12 Education and awareness raising
6. PEATLAND CONSERVATION Download
Nigel G. Taylor, Patrick Grillas and William J. Sutherland
6.1 Threat: Residential and commercial development
6.2 Threat: Agriculture and aquaculture
6.3 Threat: Energy production and mining
6.4 Threat: Transportation and service corridors
6.5 Threat: Biological resource use
6.6 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance
6.7 Threat: Natural system modifications
6.8 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species
6.9 Threat: Pollution
6.10 Threat: Climate change and severe weather
6.11 Habitat creation and restoration
6.12 Actions to complement planting
6.13 Habitat protection
6.14 Education and awareness
7. PRIMATE CONSERVATION Download
Jessica Junker, Hjalmar S. Kühl, Lisa Orth, Rebecca K. Smith, Silviu O. Petrovan and William J. Sutherland
7.1 Threat: Residential and commercial development
7.2 Threat: Agriculture
7.3 Threat: Energy production and mining
7.4 Threat: Transportation and service corridors
7.5 Threat: Biological resource use
7.6 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance
7.7 Threat: Natural system modifications
7.8 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species and genes
7.9 Threat: Pollution
7.10 Education and Awareness
7.11 Habitat protection
7.12 Species management
7.13 Livelihood; economic and other incentives
8. SHRUBLAND AND HEATHLAND CONSERVATION Download
Philip A. Martin, Ricardo Rocha, Rebecca K. Smith and William J. Sutherland
8.1 Threat: Residential and commercial development
8.2 Threat: Agriculture and aquaculture
8.3 Threat: Energy production and mining
8.4 Threat: Biological resource use
8.5 Threat: Transportation and service corridors
8.6 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbance
8.7 Threat: Natural system modifications
8.8 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species
8.9 Threat: Pollution
8.10 Threat: Climate change and severe weather
8.11 Threat: Habitat protection
8.12 Habitat restoration and creation
8.13 Actions to benefit introduced vegetation
8.14 Education and awareness
9. MANAGEMENT OF CAPTIVE ANIMALS Download
Coral S. Jonas, Lydia T. Timbrell, Fey Young, Silviu O. Petrovan, Andrew E. Bowkett and Rebecca K. Smith
9.1 Ex-situ conservation – breeding amphibians
9.2 Promoting health and welfare in captive carnivores (felids, canids and ursids) through feeding practices
9.3 Promoting natural feeding behaviours in primates in captivity
10. SOME ASPECTS OF CONTROL OF FRESHWATER INVASIVE SPECIES Download
David Aldridge, Nancy Ockendon, Ricardo Rocha, Rebecca K. Smith and William J. Sutherland
10.1 Threat: Invasive plants
10.2 Threat: Invasive molluscs
10.3 Threat: Invasive crustaceans
10.4 Threat: Invasive fish
10.5 Threat: Invasive reptiles
10.6 Threat: Invasive amphibians
11. SOME ASPECTS OF ENHANCING NATURAL PEST CONTROL Download
Hugh L. Wright, Joscelyne E. Ashpole, Lynn V. Dicks, James Hutchison, Caitlin G. McCormack and William J. Sutherland
11.1 Reducing agricultural pollution
11.2 All farming systems
11.3 Arable farming
11.4 Perennial farming
11.5 Livestock farming and pasture
12. ENHANCING SOIL FERTILITY Download
Georgina Key, Mike Whitfield, Lynn V. Dicks, William J. Sutherland and Richard D. Bardgett
12.1 Reducing agricultural pollution
12.2 All farming systems
12.3 Arable farming
12.4 Livestock and pasture farming
13. SUBTIDAL BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION Download
Anaelle J. Lemasson, Laura R. Pettit, Rebecca K. Smith and William J. Sutherland
13.1 Threat: Energy production and mining
13.2 Threat: Transportation and service corridors
13.3 Threat: Biological resource use
13.4 Threat: Human intrusions and disturbances
13.5 Threat: Invasive and other problematic species, genes and diseases
13.6 Threat: Pollution
13.7 Threat: Climate change and severe weather
13.8 Habitat protection
13.9 Habitat restoration and creation
13.10 Species management
13.11 Education and awareness

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William J. Sutherland, Lynn V. Dicks, Silviu O. Petrovan and Rebecca K. Smith. What Works in Conservation 2020. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2020. https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0191
Further details about CC BY licenses are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Cover image: A close up shot of the underside of a Dwarf Cavendish (Musa acuminata) by Ben Clough, CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dwarf_cavendish_leaf_2.jpg
Cover design: Heidi Coburn