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Addressing ongoing biodiversity loss requires collaboration between scientists who conduct research related to conservation and practitioners working on-the-ground to manage species.

Golden Eagle
A golden eagle wearing a GPS transmitter "backpack. " Tracking animal movements can help researchers understand what areas may be important for conservation.

 

For example, animal tracking studies can help identify areas that are important for breeding, which can then be prioritized for protection by conservation agencies. Despite the potential importance of animal tracking data for conservation, collaboration between scientists and practitioners has proved challenging. To gain a better understanding of this issue, an international group of authors led structured conversations with movement ecologists and conservation practitioners. The goals were to determine what factors are hampering collaboration and how those barriers can be removed. Feedback from the participants indicated that both groups are motivated to collaborate, but miscommunications and external factors such as requirements of funders and academic institutions can lead to roadblocks. Potential solutions identified include improved communication and better presentation of results. Minimizing the gap between science and practice can enhance collaboration and support conservation actions to more effectively address issues faced by animals around the globe. 

Nujiten, R.J., Katzner, T.E., Allen, A.M., Bijleveld, A.I., Boorsma, T., Borger, L., Cagnacci, F., Hart, T., Henley, M., Herren, R.M., Kok, E.M., Maree, B., Nebe, B., Shohami, D., Marieke, S., and Walker, P., 2022, Priorities for translating goodwill between movement ecologists and conservation practitioners into effective collaboration: Conservation Science and Practice, Online. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12870 

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