{"id":742562,"date":"2025-04-01T19:59:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T02:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=742562"},"modified":"2025-04-01T19:03:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T02:03:49","slug":"how-to-apply-the-geographic-approach-to-conservation","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/how-to-apply-the-geographic-approach-to-conservation","title":{"rendered":"How to Apply the Geographic Approach to Conservation"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[171,475782,489462],"tags":[277222,1631,475822,241,278672],"arcnews_issues":[491792],"class_list":["post-742562","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-spatial-data-science","category-spatial-foundations","tag-academic","tag-collaboration","tag-geographic-approach","tag-gis","tag-giscience","arcnews_issues-spring-2025","arcnews_sections-gis-people"],"acf":{"short_description":"Academics, conservationists, and GIS practitioners want to expand partnerships and collaboration. Here are some ideas for how to do that.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Confronted by the effects of a changing climate, there is renewed interest in boosting conservation and biodiversity efforts. Global endeavors, such as the 30x30 target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030, are part of this.\r\n\r\nWhile targets like 30x30 receive widespread support, many countries fail to achieve their goals. This is, in part, because there is insufficient support for GIS and spatial planning at local levels. There is also often a disconnect between the geographic data that scientists produce and the information that is required to make on-the-ground decisions about conservation. Compounding these challenges is that fragmented administrative agencies are trying to achieve multiple planning goals simultaneously, such as improving biodiversity, reducing carbon emissions, and restoring habitats.\r\n\r\nOver the past year, the Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), has been collaborating with conservation organizations around the world to identify how the geographic approach can better support conservation goals. Based on these discussions, the center invited experts in conservation science and geographic information science (GIScience) to a two-day workshop in December in Santa Barbara, California, to identify research priorities and develop new programs.\r\n\r\nDuring the workshop, a key theme emerged: Academics, conservationists, and GIS practitioners have a strong desire to expand partnerships and collaboration. This will decrease gaps in data and improve on-the-ground decision-making. But building sustainable relationships can be difficult, so the group came up with some ideas for how to foster more cooperation across disciplines."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":742572,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Priorities for Building Strong Partnerships<\/h2>\r\nOn the one hand, GIScientists continually create the spatial data and methods that conservation organizations need to fill information gaps and support on-the-ground decision-making. On the other hand, conservationists have the nuanced, field-based understanding of human-environment interactions that GIScientists need to create beneficial technical innovations.\r\n\r\nWhile the benefits of collaboration may be apparent, creating and sustaining partnerships requires resources and a shared understanding of problems. The GIS community has an established history of leading and supporting such collaborative efforts and is well positioned to serve as the catalyst for change.\r\n\r\nMany GIS practitioners are already familiar with conservation issues because they work in fields that are deeply tied to environmental resource management, land-use planning, and marine science. This familiarity lowers barriers to collaboration. Similarly, many of the organizations that GIS professionals work for have the financial, computational, and human resources needed to overcome cost barriers. The longevity of these partnerships and, ultimately, the success of conservation efforts will also depend on training the next generation of GIScientists and conservationists in collaborative science.\r\n\r\nWorking together, participants at the two-day workshop identified the following three priorities for building strong partnerships that encourage collaboration in conservation science:"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Workshop participants included 31 experts from around the globe, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Colombia, and the United States.\r\n\r\nThey hailed from a wide range of organizations, with roughly half coming from conservation groups such as:\r\n