Collaborating to Improve Species Recovery Planning

Convenors: Anne Baker, Phil Miller,Madelon Willemson

Introduction and Background:
From my own experience (working on zoo based recovery projects and as part of government recovery teams over the last 13 years) I know that the actions on prevention of extinction of (Australian) species, through recovery projects, are unfortunately not as effective as it they are intended. Why is this?

I am hoping to provide an insight in how we can enhance biodiversity recovery project successes by integrating conservation science and project management principles (I am a PhD student at the University of Technology in Sydney).

All kinds of projects or programs*, such as construction projects, IT programs, change management, human aid programs and recovery programs/projects, go through a project life cycle. For recovery projects we can use a project life cycle with five different phases (see figure 1). Some large (and costly projects) may have some extra phases in initiation and planning – but taking these five main project phases will work well for our discussions.

There are tools and processes, and software such as the Miradi program (https://miradi.org/), available, to assist recovery project teams addressing, managing and moving through each of these project phases. But even with software packages and other tools and process in place, we appear not to be able to increase recovery success rates.

It would be valuable to know what specific recovery problems or issues in each of the project life cycle phases could arise or if there are more general problems concerning recovery project management. These problems/issues could be based in biology (such as threats, small population management etc.) and/or could arise from sociology and/or business management (such as stakeholder management, budgeting etc.). Identifying these issues would give us the opportunity to adapt the recovery project management (i.e. managing and moving through the recovery project life cycle accordingly).

To find out about these problems and issues, recovery experts are the key. Your ideas, knowledge and experiences will be used to shape theories or scientific explanations on success and problems of recovery projects, through data analysis with the Grounded Theory Method (Glaser & Strauss 1967). The theories and (scientific) explanations arising from this method will form the foundations for a recovery project management framework, which will be informed by the project management literature, pm models and experts. This framework is aimed to increase the project management and therefore the success of recovery projects. 

Brainstorm session:
For this session we will focus on two of the project phases, ‘planning’ and ‘evaluation / closure’ as this is where CBSG’s work is mostly concentrated.

The questions we will investigate and brainstorm:
-    What is your definition of recovery success? Is there a general definition of recovery success?
-    What are the problems generally encountered in these two phases?
-    What is the worst or main problem?
-    What do you think could resolve the problems and increase success?

There are no wrong or right answers for these questions, I am very interested in the experts’ views on all levels and stages in a recovery project or program. The international perspective will help me to broaden the horizon and identify if these problems are the same in Australia and other countries.

Attendance & Administration:
Participation in this workshop is valuable if you have been part of a recovery project/program (in whatever position or role – such population modelling, managing a recovery team, implementing recovery action, monitoring in-situ or prioritisation of species etc.)
This session may be valuable as part of my data set for my PhD so will ask you to fill out the consent form. I will also provide you with participant information sheet for your information.

Literature:
Glaser, B.G. & Strauss, A.L. 1967, The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research, Aldine Publishing Company, Hawthorne USA.

* Definitions: A program combines several projects to reach an overarching objective

Briefing Documents:

 

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