The Conservation Archives: Bridging conservation research and practice

Background/Question/Methods

Increasing human impacts have dramatically changed ecosystems worldwide. Climate change, ocean acidification, deforestation, and species’ extinctions among others are impacting the way species interact and share the landscape. Without mitigation, we are driving natural ecosystems to an unprecedented state with an uncertain future. In recent years, special efforts have been dedicated to understanding the ecological consequences of human impacts. As a result of these efforts, new lines of research, including conservation paleobiology, have emerged. Conservation paleobiology studies historic and pre-historic records to understand abiotic processes and species interactions before major human expansions and seeks to apply these understandings in conservation practice. Unfortunately, progress made towards understanding the theoretical basis of conservation issues usually remains solely in academic spaces and seldom contributes to the advancement of conservation practice. Additionally, conservation practitioners usually work on tight deadlines and budgets that prevent them from thoroughly evaluating the body of conservation research before important decisions are made. Similarly, policy makers do not necessarily possess a team of scientists capable of evaluating multiple research disciplines and putting them into the required socio-economic context.

Results/Conclusions

Here we present The Conservation Archives, an online database aimed to bridge the gap between Paleobiology research and conservation practice. Contributing researchers will have individual data pages within the online platform for each of their conservation-related research outputs. Each of these data pages will provide space for researchers to upload materials that might support decision-making in conservation practices (i.e. comprehensive abstracts, outreach presentations, or audiovisuals). Additionally, researchers will have the option of making their contact details available to further encourage communication between scientists and conservation practitioners. Conservation science outputs will be searchable by geographic location, taxonomic affiliation of the studied taxa, and methodological keywords. While the database will not provide definite answers on what actions should be taken from a conservation standpoint, it can support informed decision-making based on scientific evidence. We encourage paleobiologists who identify their research as relevant to conservation issues to upload their results to The Conservation Archives and to contribute to this multidisciplinary conservation network.