Compassionate conservation practice: supporting diverse conservation actions but context matters

Compassionate conservation advocates for an approach that considers the wellbeing of non-human animals and the protection of nature as interconnected and mutually supportive. Critics argue that compassionate conservation is an ineffective, ‘do-nothing’ approach that poses significant threats to biodiversity, people, wildlife, and ecosystems. These criticisms often stem from the assumption that compassionate conservationists oppose any kind of conservation action, which may result from a lack of clarity about which actions are consistent with this approach. To address this, we employed a Delphi method to engage a community of 27 compassionate conservationists in a structured discussion about 100 actions, across 16 domains of practice. Participants indicated whether these actions aligned with compassionate conservation. Results showed that participants supported a diversity of conservation actions. Specifically, 35 actions received high levels of support (≥80 % positive response), 19 received low levels of support (≤20 % positive response), and 46 received variable levels of support (between 20 % and 80 % positive responses). Through a thematic analysis of text-based participant responses, we identified five major themes and 18 subthemes that illustrate the contextual factors influencing participants' support of actions. For compassionate conservationists, effective conservation action involves prioritizing animal wellbeing, fostering the flourishing of ecological and social communities, and carefully assessing the potential for harm. They emphasize the importance of assessing context and contingency, recognizing that no single consideration is solely predictive, causative, or morally justifiable. • Many different and common conservation actions are strongly supported. • Absolute rules should not determine actions, context matters. • Ethical justification, scientific rigor and effectiveness of action are essential. • Conservation should abide the wellbeing and autonomy of animal lives. • Effective actions already exist that enable compassionate conservation practice.