A Simple, Cost-Effective Method for Involving Stakeholders in Spatial Assessments of Threats to Biodiversity

Human–nature interactions shape biodiversity and natural resources. Planning conservation and engaging stakeholders in dialogues about conservation require an understanding of indirect threats arising from socioeconomic and political conditions, plus participatory methods to build consensus for action. We present a method for spatial assessment of threats, which involves stakeholders in decision-making and planning for conservation. We developed and tested the method in wildlife conservation projects in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, and Central America. The method follows a five-step process: each participant lists the human activities that are the most damaging to biodiversity and natural resources in their region (direct threats) and the role that users, managers, and policymakers play to promote or facilitate these activities (indirect threats); all participants vote to rank the worst direct threats and to map the locations of these threats at their site. The output maps are amenable to use in GIS analysis. We show how these maps help to plan, monitor, and implement interventions in wildlife conservation projects.