To evaluate impact, conservation practitioners and researchers can pursue different approaches and draw on an array of methods. Although the suitability of specific impact evaluation methodologies varies depending on context, quantitative approaches are predominantly used due to perceptions of greater rigour and broader acceptance. However, qualitative approaches to impact evaluation can generate distinct and complementary insights. In this perspective piece, we provide a conceptualisation of qualitative approaches to impact evaluation in conservation and draw on case studies to illustrate the value of qualitative approaches. These approaches can offer unique insights to understand change by illuminating different ways of seeing, testing the validity of explicit and implicit assumptions, and helping to make sense of real-world complexity. We illustrate the value and necessity of understanding why change is occurring alongside magnitude. To promote more effective and inclusive conservation research and practice, we propose that the conservation community should strive to mainstream qualitative approaches, both independently and in conjunction with quantitative approaches, as part of the development and implementation of impact evaluation in biodiversity conservation.

Terrestrial and marine protected areas have long been championed as an approach to biodiversity conservation. For protected areas to be effective, equitable and inclusive, the involvement of local residents in their management and governance is considered important. Globally, there are many approaches to involving local residents in protected area law enforcement. However, opportunities for comparing different approaches have been limited by the lack of a clear common framework for analysis. To support a more holistic understanding, we present a framework for analysing the contributions of local residents to protected area law enforcement. Informed by a review of the literature and discussions with conservation practitioners, the framework comprises five key dimensions: (1) the different points in the enforcement system at which local residents are involved, (2) the nature of local participation in decision-making, (3) the type of external support provided to local residents, (4) the different motivating forces for participation, and (5) the extent to which local participation is formalized. We apply the framework to three real-world case studies to demonstrate its use in analysing and comparing the characteristics of different approaches. We suggest this framework could be used to examine variation in local participation within the enforcement system, inform evaluation and frame constructive discussions between relevant stakeholders. With the global coverage of protected areas likely to increase, the framework provides a foundation for better understanding the contributions of local residents to protected area law enforcement.

Background: Effective communication can play a vital role in societal transformations towards sustainability and biodiversity restoration. However, the complexity and long-term nature of environmental change presents a communication challenge. If not carefully navigated, messages around environmental degradation can lead to audience disengagement and issue fatigue, at a time when motivation, engagement and positive action is required. Methods: In this Conservation in Action piece, we describe the principles of positive communication, which are being adopted by a growing movement of conservation organizations. We support this approach by reviewing evidence on the role of emotions in decision-making from diverse fields such as psychology and communications, paying particularly close attention to the experiences of climate change communicators. Results: Positive emotional experiences, including feelings of hope, collective efficacy, and the warm glow that follows actions aligned with intrinsic values, can play an essential role in sustaining actions that contribute to transformative change. While negative emotions prime specific action tendencies, positive emotions enable creativity, cooperation, and resilience, which are all essential for overcoming the challenging nature of acting on the biodiversity crisis. Conclusions: Communications from conservation researchers and practitioners need to reflect the reality of the biodiversity crisis. While some communications may seek to motivate action through warnings and threats, messages that trigger positive emotions in audiences can help inspire long-term engagement and action. We suggest that this positive communication approach is underutilized. Implications: We present a guide to help those working in conservation convey their messages in ways that are empowering and positive. As the biodiversity crisis intensifies, it is critical that conservation professionals continue to imagine and develop pathways to a better future and communicate with others in society in a way that supports transformative change towards this future.

Hydropower development can result in both environmental and social change. Modification of riparian environments and the creation of storage reservoirs can alter fish assemblages, change access arrangements and create new opportunities within and outside fishing. These opportunities may be perceived differently by different stakeholders, leading to changes in the fishery and, ultimately, with implications for the nature and distribution of benefits from the fishery. Focusing on a trap fishery for freshwater prawnMacrobrachium vollenhovenii(Herklots), this study examines the way access arrangements changed in response to the rehabilitation of the Mount Coffee run-of-river hydropower scheme on the lower reaches of the Saint Paul River in Liberia. Through the use of interviews and limited participant observation, the study explores the responses to change resulting from the rehabilitation, highlighting the way that agency and bargaining power contributed to shaping the formation of a fisher group and the new access arrangements that they have begun to develop.