COPY: A new technique for evaluation of biodiversity protection projects

Cullen, Ross; Fairburn, Geoffrey A.; Hughey, Kenneth F.D.

doi:10.1071/pc990115

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…As a measure of effectiveness, we used the concept of Conservation Output Protection Years (COPY), from the cost‐effectiveness literature (Cullen et al. , Fairburn et al. , Laycock et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat management as a generalized tool to boost European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus populations in the Iberian Peninsula: a cost‐effectiveness analysis

et al. 2013

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The European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus was designated as a protected species in Spain and Portugal following sharp declines in many populations. The ongoing decline highlights the need to implement cost‐effective management strategies for this staple prey and important small game species of Iberian Mediterranean ecosystems. Habitat management is one strategy in general use, though little is known about its true influence on rabbit populations. The main goal of this study was to assess the frequency of use and cost‐effectiveness of habitat management techniques for European rabbit populations in the Iberian Peninsula. We conducted a thorough literature review and used this information to: (i) estimate the frequency of use of habitat management techniques; (ii) evaluate the relative and absolute effectiveness of habitat management; and (iii) assess the economic implications of its application. At least one habitat management technique was used on over 60% of hunting estates. The relative effectiveness (measured as the % population change before and after management) of habitat management techniques is high, although we found no relationship between high relative effectiveness and rabbit densities considered biologically and/or economically meaningful (e.g. densities able to support a breeding population of endangered predators or medium to high rabbit harvest yields). We did not find any clear relationship between the cost and the effectiveness of the habitat management techniques applied, as the most costly techniques were not the most successful ones. We conclude that rabbit management strategies in the Iberian Peninsula should include improved and upscaled protocols for habitat management, in order to mitigate threats and promote the recovery of rabbit populations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat management as a generalized tool to boost European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus populations in the Iberian Peninsula: a cost‐effectiveness analysis

et al. 2013

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“…Our unit of measurement is Conservation Output Protection Years, COPY (Cullen et al 1999;2001). The (undiscounted) contribution of a project to the conservation of a threatened species present at a site is measured using the following equation.…”

Section: (Table 1 Near Here)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cost Utility Analysis (CUA) has been applied in some earlier studies to singlespecies projects (Cullen et al 1999;Cullen et al 2001). In this paper we demonstrate how CUA has been further developed to align the measurement scale with the internationally usable IUCN Threat Categories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the success and cost effectiveness of New Zealand multiple-species projects to the conservation of threatened species

Cullen

Moran

Hughey

2005

Ecological Economics

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Much attention is focused on conservation efforts to protect and recover threatened species. As part of these efforts, many projects attempt to manage sites containing populations of more than one threatened species. Evaluation of those multiple species projects is essential to determine their success and cost effectiveness in the conservation of threatened species. In this paper we report on the further development of the Cost Utility Analysis technique, previously tested on singlespecies programs, to the evaluation of multiple species projects. The results of tests on six New Zealand projects show that Cost Utility Analysis can determine the species conservation success and cost effectiveness of a range of different multiple species projects. The four projects that manage a high proportion of the total population of a threatened species were the most successful in terms of improving the conservation status of species. The Present Value cost per unit of output for each project ranged from NZ$425 000 to more than NZ$19 million. This research finds no evidence for the proposition that multiple-species projects are more cost effective than single-species programs in the conservation of threatened species. Multiplespecies projects may, however, have other outputs, such as advocacy and education, or ecosystem restoration that are included in their objectives and are, as yet, unmeasured. The versatility of the Cost Utility Analysis technique provides further support for its use both in New Zealand and internationally for the evaluation of both single species programs and multiple-species projects.

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“…Globally, most biodiversity conservation programmes are not currently evaluated in terms of their costs and benefits, or their rate of return on the original investment (Haddock et al 2007), though there have been some notable exceptions (see: Moran et al 1996;Metrick and Weitzman 1998;Cullen et al 1999;Cullen et al 2001;Finn et al 2009;Laycock et al 2009Laycock et al , 2011Perkins et al 2011;Baker et al 2012;Pannell et al 2013;Shwiff et al 2013;Cullen and White 2013). Assessing the cost-effectiveness of conservation programmes can be challenging for a number of reasons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating quantitative and qualitative data in assessing the cost-effectiveness of biodiversity conservation programmes

et al. 2015

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Globally, most biodiversity conservation programmes are not currently evaluated in terms of their costs and benefits, or their rate of return on the original investment. Assessing the cost-effectiveness of such schemes is challenging as the relationship between spending and the effectiveness of conservation is dependent on many biological and socioeconomic factors. Here, we evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a selection of species and habitat conservation schemes undertaken through the Scotland Rural Development Programme. We use a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, based on expert knowledge, to estimate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different schemes and understand variations in the results. Our findings highlight a lack of geographical targeting in terms of where the funding might achieve the most conservation benefit, which may be contributing to high costs per unit of effectiveness. Recommendations include the need for improved advice on appropriate management and monitoring programmes that are linked closely to objectives. Conservation schemes within Scotland were used as the focus of the study, but the approaches used, interpretations drawn and improvements identified could be applied to any regional, national or international biodiversity conservation programmes. 123Biodivers Conserv (2015) 24:1359-1375 DOI 10.1007 Cost and effectiveness data can be subject to a high degree of uncertainty and hence any cost-effectiveness estimate is subject to a number of caveats. There is therefore a need to focus not only on improving the cost-effectiveness of biodiversity conservation programmes, but also to improve the robustness of cost-effectiveness assessments, in terms of data availability and accuracy and improved monitoring of the outcomes of interventions.

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COPY: A new technique for evaluation of biodiversity protection projects

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Habitat management as a generalized tool to boost European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus populations in the Iberian Peninsula: a cost‐effectiveness analysis

Habitat management as a generalized tool to boost European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus populations in the Iberian Peninsula: a cost‐effectiveness analysis

Measuring the success and cost effectiveness of New Zealand multiple-species projects to the conservation of threatened species

Integrating quantitative and qualitative data in assessing the cost-effectiveness of biodiversity conservation programmes

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