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Tropical field stations yield high conservation return on investment

Eppley, Timothy M.; Reuter, Kim E.; Sefczek, Timothy M.; Tinsman, Jen; Santini, Luca; Hoeks, Selwyn; Andriantsaralaza, Seheno; Shanee, Sam; Di Fiore, Anthony; Setchell, Joanna M.; Strier, Karen B.; Abanyam, Peter A.; Mutalib, Aini Hasanah Abd; Abwe, Ekwoge; Chapman, Colin A.; Ahmed, Tanvi; Ancrenaz, Marc; Andriantsimanarilafy, Raphali R.; Ang, Andie; Aureli, Filippo; Barrett, Louise; Beehner, Jacinta C.; Benítez, Marcela E.; Bezerra, Bruna M.; Bicca-Marques, Júlio César; Bikaba, Dominique; Bitariho, Robert; Boesch, Christophe; Bolt, Laura M.; Boonratana, Ramesh; Butynski, Thomas M.; Canale, Gustavo R.; Carvalho, Susana; Chapman, Colin A.; Chetry, Dilip; Cheyne, Susan M.; Cords, Marina; Cornejo, Fanny M.; Cortés-Ortiz, Liliana; Coudrat, Camille N. Z.; Crofoot, Margaret C.; Cronin, Drew T.; Dadjo, Alvine; Dakpogan, S. Chrystelle; Danquah, Emmanuel; Davenport, Tim R.B.; De Jong, Yvonne A.; De La Torre, Stella; Dempsey, Andrea; Dimalibot, Judeline C.; Dolch, Rainer; Donati, Giuseppe; Est...

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Authors

Timothy M. Eppley

Kim E. Reuter

Timothy M. Sefczek

Jen Tinsman

Luca Santini

Selwyn Hoeks

Seheno Andriantsaralaza

Sam Shanee

Anthony Di Fiore

Karen B. Strier

Peter A. Abanyam

Aini Hasanah Abd Mutalib

Ekwoge Abwe

Colin A. Chapman

Tanvi Ahmed

Marc Ancrenaz

Raphali R. Andriantsimanarilafy

Andie Ang

Filippo Aureli

Louise Barrett

Jacinta C. Beehner

Marcela E. Benítez

Bruna M. Bezerra

Júlio César Bicca-Marques

Dominique Bikaba

Robert Bitariho

Christophe Boesch

Laura M. Bolt

Ramesh Boonratana

Thomas M. Butynski

Gustavo R. Canale

Susana Carvalho

Colin A. Chapman

Dilip Chetry

Susan M. Cheyne

Marina Cords

Fanny M. Cornejo

Liliana Cortés-Ortiz

Camille N. Z. Coudrat

Margaret C. Crofoot

Drew T. Cronin

Alvine Dadjo

S. Chrystelle Dakpogan

Emmanuel Danquah

Tim R.B. Davenport

Yvonne A. De Jong

Stella De La Torre

Andrea Dempsey

Judeline C. Dimalibot

Rainer Dolch

Giuseppe Donati

Alejandro Estrada

Rassina A. Farassi

Peter J. Fashing

Eduardo Fernandez-Duque

Maria J. Ferreira da Silva

Julia Fischer

César F. Flores-Negrón

Barbara Fruth

Terence Fuh Neba

Lief Erikson Gamalo

Jörg U. Ganzhorn

Paul A. Garber

Smitha D. Gnanaolivu

Mary Katherine Gonder

Sery Ernest Gonedelé Bi

Benoit Goossens

Marcelo Gordo

Juan M. Guayasamin

Diana C. Guzmán-Caro

Andrew R. Halloran

Jessica A. Hartel

Eckhard W. Heymann

Kimberley J. Hockings

Gottfried Hohmann

Naven Hon

Mariano G. Houngbédji

Michael A. Huffman

Rachel A. Ikemeh

Inaoyom Imong

Mitchell T. Irwin

Patrícia Izar

Leandro Jerusalinsky

Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

Beth A. Kaplin

Peter M. Kappeler

Stanislaus M. Kivai

Cheryl D. Knott

Intanon Kolasartsanee

Kathelijne Koops

Martin M. Kowalewski

Deo Kujirakwinja

Ajith Kumar

Quyet K Le

Rebecca J. Lewis

Aung Ko Lin

David M Montgomery

Citlalli Morelos-Juárez

Bethan J Morgan

David Morgan

Andrés Link

Luz I. Loría

Menladi M. Lormie

Edward E. Louis Jr.

Ngwe Lwin

Fiona Maisels

Suchinda Malaivijitnond

Lesley Marisa

Gráinne M. McCabe

W. Scott McGraw

Addisu Mekonnen

Pedro G. Méndez-Carvajal

Tânia Minhós

Amancio Motove Etingüe

Papa Ibnou Ndiaye

K. Anne-Isola Nekaris

Nga Nguyen

Vincent Nijman

Radar Nishuli

Marilyn A. Norconk

Luciana I. Oklander

Rahayu Oktaviani

Julia Ostner

Emily Otali

Susan E. Perry

Eduardo J. Pinel Ramos

Leila M. Porter

Jill D. Pruetz

Anne E. Pusey

Helder L. Queiroz

Mónica A. Ramírez

Guy Hermas Randriatahina

Hoby Rasoanaivo

Jonah Ratsimbazafy

Joelisoa Ratsirarson

Josia Razafindramanana

Onja H. Razafindratsima

Vernon Reynolds

Rizaldi Rizaldi

Martha M. Robbins

Melissa E. Rodríguez

Marleny Rosales-Meda

Crickette M. Sanz

Dipto Sarkar

Anne Savage

Amy L. Schreier

Oliver Schülke

Gabriel H. Segniagbeto

Juan Carlos Serio-Silva

Arif Setiawan

John Seyjagat

Felipe E. Silva

Elizabeth M. Sinclair

Rebecca L. Smith

Denise Spaan

Fiona A. Stewart

Shirley C. Strum

Martin Surbeck

Magdalena S. Svensson

Mauricio Talebi

Luc Roscelin Tédonzong

Bernardo Urbani

João Valsecchi

Natalie Vasey

Erin R. Vogel

Robert B. Wallace

Janette Wallis

Siân Waters

Roman M. Wittig

Richard W. Wrangham

Patricia C. Wright

Russell A. Mittermeier



Abstract

Conservation funding is currently limited; cost‐effective conservation solutions are essential. We suggest that the thousands of field stations worldwide can play key roles at the frontline of biodiversity conservation and have high intrinsic value. We assessed field stations’ conservation return on investment and explored the impact of COVID‐19. We surveyed leaders of field stations across tropical regions that host primate research; 157 field stations in 56 countries responded. Respondents reported improved habitat quality and reduced hunting rates at over 80% of field stations and lower operational costs per km2 than protected areas, yet half of those surveyed have less funding now than in 2019. Spatial analyses support field station presence as reducing deforestation. These “earth observatories” provide a high return on investment; we advocate for increased support of field station programs and for governments to support their vital conservation efforts by investing accordingly.

Citation

Eppley, T. M., Reuter, K. E., Sefczek, T. M., Tinsman, J., Santini, L., Hoeks, S., …Mittermeier, R. A. (2024). Tropical field stations yield high conservation return on investment. Conservation Letters, 17(2), Article e13007. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13007

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 6, 2024
Online Publication Date Mar 4, 2024
Publication Date Apr 29, 2024
Deposit Date Feb 9, 2024
Publicly Available Date Mar 15, 2024
Journal Conservation Letters
Publisher Society for Conservation Biology
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 17
Issue 2
Article Number e13007
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13007
Keywords field stations, sustainability, primate‐range countries, protected areas, pandemic, conservation funding, biodiversity, climate change, return on investment
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2231098

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