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Pacific Conservation Biology Pacific Conservation Biology Society
A journal dedicated to conservation and wildlife management in the Pacific region.
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Conservation, mismatch and the research–implementation gap

R. M. Jarvis A B , S. B. Borrelle A , B. Bollard Breen A and D. R. Towns A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute for Applied Ecology New Zealand, School of Applied Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.

B Corresponding author. Email: rjarvis@aut.ac.nz

Pacific Conservation Biology 21(2) 105-107 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC14912
Submitted: 21 October 2014  Accepted: 3 December 2014   Published: 15 May 2015

Journal Compilation © CSIRO Publishing 2015 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

Despite calls to better link research and practice, the gap between knowing and doing continues to limit conservation success. Here we report on the outcomes from a workshop at the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania Conference 2014 on bridging the research–implementation gap. The workshop highlighted how the gap is still very real in conservation and the importance of bringing together researchers and practitioners to discuss their work. Workshop participants discussed how the research–implementation gap influenced their conservation efforts, identified five key mismatches between research and practice, and recommended seven ways we can work together to bridge the gap. The outcomes identified by the workshop are highly relevant to conservation efforts around the world.

Additional keywords: communication mismatch, institutional mismatch, knowing–doing gap, priority mismatch, scale mismatch, temporal mismatch.


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