Evidence is a prerequisite for effective conservation decisions, yet its use is not ubiquitous. This can lead to wasted resources and inadequate conservation decisions. Creating a culture of evidence use within the conservation and environmental management communities is key to transforming conservation. At present, there are a range of ways in which organisations can change so that evidence use becomes routinely adopted as part of institutional processes. Auditing existing use is a useful first stage followed by creating an evidence-use plan. A wide range of possible actions should encourage evidence use and ensure the availability of resources needed. Seven case studies show how very different organisations, from funders to businesses to conservation organisations, have reworked their processes so that evidence has become fundamental to their effective practice.
Delivering a revolution in evidence use requires a cultural change across society. For a wide range of groups (practitioners, knowledge brokers, organisations, organisational leaders, policy makers, funders, researchers, journal publishers, the wider conservation community, educators, writers, and journalists), options are described to facilitate a change in practice, and a series of downloadable checklists are provided.
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