Tropical field stations yield high conservation return on investment

Conservation funding is currently limited; cost‐effective conservation solutions are essential. We suggest that the thousands of field stations worldwide can play key roles at the frontline of biodiversity conservation and have high intrinsic value. We assessed field stations’ conservation return on investment and explored the impact of COVID‐19. We surveyed leaders of field stations across tropical regions that host primate research; 157 field stations in 56 countries responded. Respondents reported improved habitat quality and reduced hunting rates at over 80% of field stations and lower operational costs per km 2 than protected areas, yet half of those surveyed have less funding now than in 2019. Spatial analyses support field station presence as reducing deforestation. These “earth observatories” provide a high return on investment; we advocate for increased support of field station programs and for governments to support their vital conservation efforts by investing accordingly.

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UNC Libraries
Published
2024-10-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.17615/9jwh-1r67
Primary Topic
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
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article
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article

Tropical field stations yield high conservation return on investment

Giuseppe Donati, Luc Roscelin Dongmo Tédonzong, Margaret C. Crofoot, Siân Waters et al.
UNC Libraries
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
article

Tropical field stations yield high conservation return on investment

Giuseppe Donati, Luc Roscelin Dongmo Tédonzong, Margaret C. Crofoot, Siân Waters, Terence Fuh Neba, Joelisoa Ratsirarson, Juan M. Guayasamin, Andrés Link, Peter A. Abanyam, Suchinda Malaivijitnond, Erin R. Vogel, Julia Fischer, Karen B. Strier, Jacinta C. Beehner, Susan Perry, David Montgomery, Arif Setiawan, César F. Flores‐Negrón, Benoît Goossens, Luca Santini, Mariano Houngbédji, Vincent Nijman, Alejandro Estrada, Timothy M. Eppley, Fanny M. Cornejo, Elizabeth M. Sinclair, Onja H. Razafindratsima, Edward E. Louis, Tanvir Ahmed, Guy Hermas Randriatahina, Ramesh Boonratana, Gottfried Hohmann, Fiona A. Stewart, Martín Miguel Kowalewski, Peter J. Fashing, Jill D. Pruetz, Martin Surbeck, Ngwe Lwin, John Seyjagat, Lief Erikson Gamalo, Bethan J. Morgan, Anne Savage, Robert Bitariho, Andrea Dempsey, Patrícia Izar, Juan Carlos Serio‐Silva, Emmanuel Danquah, Pedro G. Méndez‐Carvajal, Hoby A. Rasoanaivo, Christophe Boesch, Raphali R. Andriantsimanarilafy, Dipto Sarkar, Nga Nguyen, K. A. I. Nekaris, Amy L. Schreier, Melissa E. Rodríguez, Peter M. Kappeler, Roman M. Wittig, Russell A. Mittermeier, Ekwoge E. Abwe, Amancio Motove Etingüe, Oliver Schülke, Marc Ancrenaz, Natalie Vasey, Aini Hasanah Abd Mutalib, Tânia Minhós, Ajith Kumar, Smitha D. Gnanaolivu, Seheno Andriantsaralaza, Crickette Sanz, Citlalli Morelos‐Juárez, David Morgan, Tim R. B. Davenport, Marcela E. Benítez, Rebecca J. Lewis, Vernon Reynolds, Janette Wallis, W. Scott McGraw, Helder Lima de Queiroz, Jörg U. Ganzhorn, Intanon Kolasartsanee, Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh, Stella de la Torre, Gráinne McCabe, Robert B. Wallace, Rassina Farassi, Júlio César Bicca‐Marques, Jessica A. Hartel, Naven Hon, Barbara Fruth, Eckhard W. Heymann, Diana C. Guzmán‐Caro, Bruna M. Bezerra, Timothy M. Sefczek, Patricia C. Wright, Marilyn A. Norconk, Martha M. Robbins, Menladi M. Lormie, Kim E. Reuter, João Valsecchi, Louise Barrett, Shirley C. Strum, Julia Ostner, Beth A. Kaplin, Inaoyom Imong, Marina Cords, Mitchell T. Irwin, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Leila M. Porter, Russell A. Hill, Addisu Mekonnen, Sery Gonedelé Bi, Emily Otali, Eduardo Fernández‐Duque, Marcelo Gordo, Susana Carvalho, Deo Kujirakwinja, Paul A. Garber, Susan M. Cheyne, Anne E. Pusey, Filippo Aureli, Colin A. Chapman, Dilip Chetry, Richard W. Wrangham, Papa Ibnou Ndiaye, Rahayu Oktaviani, Anthony Di Fiore, Judeline Dimalibot, Selwyn Hoeks, Maurício Talebi, Aung Ko Lin, Fiona Maisels, Dominique Bikaba, Sam Shanee, Gabriel Hoinsoudé Segniagbeto, Mary Katherine Gonder, Luz I. Loría, Felipe Ennes Silva, Gladys Kalema‐Zikusoka, Cheryl D. Knott, Thomas M. Butynski, Joanna M. Setchell, Le Khac Quyet, Rebecca L. Smith, Leandro Jerusalinsky, Bernardo Urbani, Michael A. Huffman, Josia Razafindramanana, Andie Ang, Laura M. Bolt, Alvine Dadjo, Luciana Oklander, María Joana Ferreira da Silva, Andrew R Halloran, Marleny Rosales‐Meda, Camille N. Z. Coudrat, Radar Nishuli, Kimberley J. Hockings, Denise Spaan, Liliana Cortés‐Ortiz, Gustavo Rodrigues Canale, Drew T. Cronin, Magdalena S. Svensson, Jen Tinsman, Rainer Dolch, Lesley Marisa, S. Chrystelle Dakpogan, Eduardo José Pinel-Ramos, Mónica A. Ramírez, Rizaldi Rizaldi, Yvonne A. de Jong, Stanislaus M. Kivai, Kathelijne Koops
article en

Abstract

Conservation funding is currently limited; cost‐effective conservation solutions are essential. We suggest that the thousands of field stations worldwide can play key roles at the frontline of biodiversity conservation and have high intrinsic value. We assessed field stations’ conservation return on investment and explored the impact of COVID‐19. We surveyed leaders of field stations across tropical regions that host primate research; 157 field stations in 56 countries responded. Respondents reported improved habitat quality and reduced hunting rates at over 80% of field stations and lower operational costs per km 2 than protected areas, yet half of those surveyed have less funding now than in 2019. Spatial analyses support field station presence as reducing deforestation. These “earth observatories” provide a high return on investment; we advocate for increased support of field station programs and for governments to support their vital conservation efforts by investing accordingly.

UNC Libraries
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 84%
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
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