Conservation Policy
What does it mean to work to improve 'conservation policy'?
'Conservation policy’ is policy that can both negatively and positively affect ecological systems (i.e., nature). This includes policy initiatives titled with words like wildlife, watershed, ecosystem, etc., as well as those titled with words like land use, transportation, growth management, water security, development, food, timber, recreation, etc.
‘Improve’ means providing support in the development of policy to make it robust and effective, as well as assessing and adapting that policy to ensure it is, in fact, effective.
Conservation
Nature conservation means ensuring that the ecological processes and functions that support biodiversity persist over the long term by promoting the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of the underlying systems and what they provide.
Conservation can be thought of as a ‘hyphenated’ activity, meaning it requires many disciplines: conservation biology, conservation policy, wildlife conservation, water conservation, conservation communications, conservation law … etc.
Policy
The Max Bell Foundation has an excellent definition of ‘public policy’:
“Official decisions that guide the activities of organizations operating in the public interest. Such organizations include governments and non-profit organizations at the local, municipal, regional, provincial, and national levels.
For example, public policy decisions can be expressed as legislation, resolutions, regulations, by-laws, appropriations, court decisions, etc.
Public policy refers not only to decisions, but also the programs and administrative practices undertaken by organizations operating in the public interest.”
How does the
Corvus Centre for Conservation Policy
work to improve 'conservation policy'?
Working to improve conservation policy means first understanding the conservation policy process, ....
... understanding how to evaluate conservation policy, ...
... and then providing targeted support of the right type at the right point.
