Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation

The Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation, or Conservation Standards (CS) for short, are a set of principles and practices that bring together common concepts, approaches, and terminology for conservation project design, management, and monitoring. They were developed by the Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP), have been widely adopted, and are updated regularly in collaboration with the wider conservation community. The Conservation Standards are open-source (Creative Commons license) and can be shared, used, and adapted as users wish to fit their context.

The Standards describe ideal practices for doing effective conservation work, using a mutually defined vocabulary and focus on a rigorous approach to project management. Recognising that adequate resources are lacking, a draft “Cookbook” for Lighter Approaches to the Conservation Standards and a supporting video are also provided.

gsap
Visit page

Related content

Scimitar-horned Oryx: Back to the Wild – IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group Newsletter – GSAP SKILLS Online Knowledge Platform

Welcome to the GNUSLETTER Special Issue Number 2, which is exclusively dedicated to the Scimitar-horned Oryx. This Special Issue has been produced to celebrate the positive change in status of the Scimitar-horned Oryx on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. Scimitar-horned Oryx became extinct in the wild by the end of the 1980s or early 1990s. Animals from the large ex situ population were re-established in fenced protected areas in Tunisia beginning in 1985 and in Senegal in 1998. The programme to reintroduce a fully free-living population in Ouadi Rime – Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve (OROAFR, Réserve de faune de Ouadi Rimé – Ouadi Achim) in Chad began in the early 2000s. The first group of captive-bred Scimitar-horned Oryx was transferred from Abu Dhabi to Chad in March 2016 and placed in an acclimatisation enclosure. Twenty-one oryx were released into the wild in August 2016 and the first wild birth was recorded in September. Eight more releases have occurred and young oryx have been born every year since 2016.

Habitat Conservation Activities for Endangered Plants in Yangsan Wondong Wetland

Wondong Wetland in Yangsan, Korea, is a rare habitat for Korea’s endangered plants, such as the Viola raddeana Regel and Pterygopleurum neurophyllum (Maxim.) Kitag.. In particular, it is known as the only habitat in Korea for Pterygopleurum neurophyllum (Maxim.) Kitag. Wondong Wetland is a wetland behind the Nakdong River that was once used as agricultural land and was restored to its natural state. However, as plants such as silver grass expanded, the population of endangered plants decreased due to competition. To expand the population of the two endangered plants, an event was held in February 2023 (winter season) with citizens to cut down grass, including silver grass, a competing species. As a result, the germination rate of the two plant species increased, and their habitat range expanded. Grass cutting was also carried out in February 2024, and it is planned to be carried out in the future before the germination period in February every year.

Amphibian conservation action plan

As the most threatened vertebrate class on earth, amphibians are at the forefront of the biodiversity crisis, with the recognition of global amphibian declines and extinctions dating back several decades now. The current Amphibian Conservation Action Plan is adopting two strategies to address the goal of the amelioration of the amphibian crisis: the development of two complementary documents that work to 1) synthesise developments in major themes of amphibian conservation over the last 15 years, as in this document, and 2) summarise the key findings and recommendations to a broader audience in a user-friendly way (a practitioner document that will follow this synthesis document). The purpose is thus to provide the most up-to-date  evidence on threats and approaches to amphibian conservation, and from there identify gaps and priorities that can then be disseminated and adopted by stakeholders across the globe.

Using Systematic Conservation Planning to Identify Priorities for Management In King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, Saudi Arabia: A Multi-Objective Zoning Plan

King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Royal Reserve is a mega reserve (KSRNR) declared to promote resource conservation and sustainable use. The reserve is huge, the designated area has about 460,000 people either living in or around it. A reserve with such a large extent and a large number of interacting populations is expected to have a lot of encroachments and land use conflicts. Protected area zoning is a management strategy used to define and delimit land units for specific purposes, such as critical conservation areas and recreation areas. KSRNR aims to achieve a multi-objective management approach for management. The area is a mega reserve of more than 130,000 Km2. KSRNR also contains a lot of cultural and heritage sites targeted by the tourism industry but are still in their infancy. Growth of such an industry is imminent and planning in KSRNR should be a step ahead to ensure the endurance and sustainability of this valuable resource. Thus, tourism is regulated by KSRNR.

Can we save critically endangered relict endemic plant species? A case study of endemics in Egypt

Rosa arabica and Primula boveana is a perennial endemic to the high mountain area of St. Catherine Protected Area (SCPA) in Egypt and listed as one of the most 100 threatened plants in the world. Recently, they listed as Critically Endangered due to their small Extent of Occurrence and tiny population size (less than 90). The continuous decline in habitat quality for this species and the urgent need to carry out on-ground conservation actions were reported. Many attempts were made in the past to cultivate them in the wild, but they did not succeed. So, this solution aims to conserve them through in situ practices by implementing the following steps, respectively: a) IUCN Red List, b) Ecological Niche Modeling, and c) based on the previous two steps, translocation process for R. arabica in the suitable habitat will be done after carrying out simple layering process (local community traditional method) as one of the most effective traditional vegetative methods for wild cultivation for this species.

Safe Island for Seabirds

The Safe Islands for Seabirds project took place in Corvo island and Vila Franca do Campo Islet  (VFCI) in São Miguel island in the Azores. It was a pioneer project for the conservation of seabird colonies trough habitat restoration and control and eradication of invasive alien species (IAS).

This project assessed the impact of predators on seabird reproduction and tested several methods in order to reduce that impact. One of the most innovative solutions was a pest-free fence installed in the “Corvo Biological Reserve”, that was cleaned from predators and restored to the natural habitat. Also, habitats were restored in a higher altitude  reserve and at the restricted area of VFCI. Habitat restoration allowed seabirds a better access to the burrows, but also artificial nests were built to increase nesting availability.

Education and awareness rising were also of high importance for the project. In the after-LIFE, restored areas were regularly maintained and educational actions continued.

California Marine Protected Area Network

California’s MPA Network consists of 124 MPAs and 14 special closures and was fully completed in 2012. A partnership between several managing entities (the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Ocean Protection Council, and the Fish and Game Commission) led a 10-year review of the network which was completed in 2022 and shared with the public in 2023. The report found that the Network has effectively promoted biodiversity conservation throughout the coast. This outcome has led to the consideration of the Network as a candidate for the IUCN Green List.

Cranes over Cheorwon, cultivating conservation and community: results from the Nature Coexistence between farmers and cranes

The conservation efforts in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do, are a collaborative initiative by local farmers and various organizations, including the National Nature Trust, Cheorwon Crane Protection Association, and others, to preserve endangered crane habitats. These efforts have led to a notable increase in crane populations, thanks to sustainable agricultural practices, ecotourism, and community-driven conservation activities. The National Nature Trust plays a pivotal role, supported by legal frameworks and financial mechanisms, in managing conservation assets like ‘the Cheorwon Crane Land.’ This multifaceted approach integrates ecological preservation with local economic development, showcasing a successful model of conservation that promotes the coexistence of human and wildlife interests.

Apiculture to engage communities in fighting bush fires, provide income and protect biodiversity – Kilum-Ijin Forest, Cameroon

The project provides an innovative model for biodiversity preservation based on community action to increase the production of Oku White Honey, conserve the forest, and develop markets for finished products benefiting the local populations living in and around high biodiversity areas. We promote biodiversity conservation by regenerating degraded forest biodiversity with native bee-loving and economic trees, which will help increase the quantity of honey produced. The project also strengthens the Oku White Honey value chain by improving the quality of the finished products and developing robust markets. This program helps organize bee farmers, leads to job creation, and increases the revenue of the local population. The development of this green value chain reduces pressure on natural resources, encourages communities to support conservation efforts, builds capacity among community leaders, including women, and improves the livelihoods of the population.

IUCN SSC Global register of competencies for threatened species recovery

This document is a directory of the skills, knowledge and personal attributes required by practitioners working in threatened species recovery programmes, in both in-situ and ex-situ contexts. Its structure consists of 19 categories of competence arranged in three main groups: Planning, Management and  Administration; Threatened Species Recovery; and General Personal Competences. Within each of the three categories, specific competences are defined for up to four professional levels: Executive, Senior Manager, Middle Manager/Technical Specialist and Skilled Worker.

The Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI)

SCTI is a partnership initiative between  several NGOs and ex situ organizations to ensure that new innovations and tools needed for species risk assessment, conservation planning, and population management are developed, globally available, and used effectively. SCTI combines expertise in population biology, computer programming, and planning to build modelling tools essential to guide conservation actions for threatened species in the wild, to facilitate the intensive management of species in ex situ programmes, and to integrate conservation efforts across all types of management approaches.

EDGE metric and EDGE lists

A consistent methodology for prioritising species conservation efforts based on extinction risk data (the Red List) and phylogenetic information; EDGE lists, representing the most evolutionarily distinct and threatened species on Earth, are currently available for all amphibians, birds, mammals, ray-finned fish, reptiles, sharks and rays, freshwater crayfish, and gymnosperms, with lists for other groups, including all angiosperms, forthcoming