The challenge
Conservation decisions are complex
In the face of rapidly declining biodiversity, we need to make urgent decisions to prevent further species losses.
Where to invest the limited resources available for biodiversity conservation, what species and ecosystems to focus on, and what management approaches will work? These are the difficult questions that need to be answered.
On top of this, conservation decisions have complex economic, social and political variables that need to be considered. For an approach to work it needs to be socially and politically viable.
Our response
Combining knowledge to solve urgent problems
We've assembled a multidisciplinary group of researchers, with expertise in ecology, systematic conservation planning, ecosystem services, applied mathematics, artificial intelligence and decision theory, to address some of the most pressing global conservation problems.
We do this by connecting ecological data with decision science to determine what actions to take, when and where, to get the best outcomes for the investment in biodiversity conservation, while taking into account the many other competing needs of society.
We're pioneering techniques in optimal conservation resource allocation, cost-effectiveness analysis, expert elicitation and adaptive management.
We apply our expertise to diverse conservation problems to inform the recovery of endangered species, management of invasive species and diseases, design of conservation reserves, and the prioritisation of threat management to conserve biodiversity in a rapidly changing world.