title: Priority Questions and Horizon Scanning for Conservation: A Comparative Study.
abstract: Several projects aimed at identifying priority issues for conservation with high relevance to policy have recently been completed in several countries. Two major types of projects have been undertaken, aimed at identifying (i) policy-relevant questions most imperative to conservation and (ii) horizon scanning topics, defined as emerging issues that are expected to have substantial implications for biodiversity conservation and policy in the future. Here, we provide the first overview of the outcomes of biodiversity and conservation-oriented projects recently completed around the world using this framework. We also include the results of the first questions and horizon scanning project completed for a Mediterranean country. Overall, the outcomes of the different projects undertaken (at the global scale, in the UK, US, Canada, Switzerland and in Israel) were strongly correlated in terms of the proportion of questions and/or horizon scanning topics selected when comparing different topic areas. However, some major differences were found across regions. There was large variation among regions in the percentage of proactive (i.e. action and response oriented) versus descriptive (non-response oriented) priority questions and in the emphasis given to socio-political issues. Substantial differences were also found when comparing outcomes of priority questions versus horizon scanning projects undertaken for the same region. For example, issues related to climate change, human demography and marine ecosystems received higher priority as horizon scanning topics, while ecosystem services were more emphasized as current priority questions. We suggest that future initiatives aimed at identifying priority conservation questions and horizon scanning topics should allow simultaneous identification of both current and future priority issues, as presented here for the first time. We propose that further emphasis on social-political issues should be explicitly integrated into future related projects.
authors.affiliation: The Biodiversity Research Group, The School of Biological Sciences, ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia.|The Biodiversity Research Group, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
authors.forename: Salit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kark
authors.affiliation: Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa-Oranim, Tivon, 36006, Israel.
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Shanas
authors.affiliation: The Biodiversity Research Group, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.|HaMa'arag - The Israel National Program for Ecosystem Assessment, Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Albert Einstein Square, Jerusalem, 91040, Israel.
authors.forename: Keren
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klass
authors.affiliation: The Biodiversity Research Group, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Achisar
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dayan
authors.affiliation: Nature Campus, Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gavrieli
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Ronit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Justo-Hanani
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Entomology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, POB 012, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mandelik
authors.affiliation: Earth and Environmental Sciences group, Dept. of Science Teaching, The Weizmann Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Orion
authors.affiliation: Yarqon River Authority, PO Box 6297, Tel Aviv, 61067, Israel.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pargament
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Portman
authors.affiliation: French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Sede Boqer, 84990, Israel.
authors.forename: Orna
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Reisman-Berman
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel.
authors.forename: Uriel N
authors.initials: UN
authors.lastname: Safriel
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel.
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schaffer
authors.affiliation: Open Landscapes and Biodiversity Division, The Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Noa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.affiliation: Forest Management, Monitoring and GIS, KKL - Land Development Authority - Forest Department, The Jewish National Fund, Eshtaol, Israel.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tauber
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel.
authors.forename: Noam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Levin
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002170:Canada; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D057766:Policy; D013557:Switzerland
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