Making evidence-based decisions
There is no suggestion that users should simply follow the content of any guidance. Instead, the recommended practice is to combine the available scientific evidence (if using guidance, also updating with more recent material) with experience and local knowledge as well as with values; this process is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The role of evidence in evidence-based conservation, showing how the components interact. Values incorporate ethical, social, political, and economic concerns. From Sutherland (2022).
There are eight main stages of decision-making listed below with descriptions of good practice (Sutherland in prep). For details of approaches for carrying out each stage rigorously see Sutherland (2022). Identify and frame the challenge: Formulate the issue, or issues, where there are problems or opportunities resulting in a need for decisions. Frame the issue in terms of what is being decided, including what is not being decided and the goals that are being sought.
Identify who to consult: Consider who should be involved in making decisions, overseeing decisions, consulted or informed. A stakeholder analysis is a good starting point.
Research the problem: Research the causes and consequences of the problem. The research may result in modifications of the challenge, for example by making it more specific.
Identifying options: One study showed that practitioners were only aware of 57% of the possible options for a particular topic (Walsh et al., 2015). Solution scanning, in which options are extracted from the literature and practitioners followed by wide consultation to collate further options, is an approach for ensuring a reasonably comprehensive list.
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