JustConservation - global data of site-level biodiversity conservation and its social-ecological outcomes (1970-2019)

This dataset contains evidence collected from 723 studies published in English-language peer-reviewed journals that describe and explore conservation efforts at a single site in 104 countries (1970-2019). The pool of studies was obtained through a keyword search on Web of Science, which returned 69,246 publications, followed by a screening of titles and abstracts using the open access machine-learning assisted software Colandr (11,100 publications screened; cut-off inclusion rate: 3%) and a data extraction phase (1,054 publications), based on the following criteria for inclusion: (1) the study is about biodiversity conservation; (2) the study describes a deliberate intervention; (3) the study provides empirical evidence; (4) the conservation intervention takes place in a specific site through a specific actor or actors; (5) the study identifies a discernible conservation aim, and; (6) the paper identifies a discernible conservation approach.


Curated and compiled dataset with the following columns:




study_id: unique identifier of the study

title: title of the study

year: publication year of the study

authors: authors of the study

name_journal: name of the journal the study was published in

author_affiliation_type: type of institution the lead author of the study works for (University/Academic; NGO; public/state/UN; think thank/research institute; private company; independent; other). Only lists first affiliation.

author_affiliation_country: country of affiliation of the lead author. Only lists first affiliation.

author_continent: country of affiliation of the lead author. Only lists first affiliation.

author_north_south: indicates whether the lead author is affiliated with an institution in the Global North (N) or Global South (S). Only lists first affiliation.

major_funder_ngo: are any authors affiliated with a major conservation funder or organisation with an interest in the conservation intervention being researched (yes; no)

funding_source: funding source of the paper (not of the conservation intervention)

conflict_of_interest: overlap between the affiliations of authors, the funding source and the conservation intervention being researched (0 = no; 1 = yes)

study_country: country where the intervention was studied

study_locality: locality or region where the intervention was studied

study_continent: continent where the intervention was studied

study_north_south: indicates whether the conservation intervention was conducted in the Global North (N) or Global South (S)

primary_ecosystem_type: type of ecosystem of the intervention (Forest/Woodland; Savanna/Dry forest; Dryland/Semi-arid; Grassland/Shrubland; Rivers/Wetlands; Coastal/Marine; Mountain; Cultivated; Other)

name_primary_intervention: name of the conservation intervention or program

year_primary_intervention: year the conservation intervention or program started (single year; many years)

target_type_ecosystem: the conservation intervention targets ecosystems or habitats (yes; no)

target_type_species: the conservation intervention targets specific species (yes; no)

target_type_ess: the conservation intervention targets ecosystem services or processes (yes; no)

target_type_humans: the conservation intervention targets humans and livelihoods (yes; no)

description_primary_target: short description of the primary conservation target

description_secondary_target: short description of any additional conservation target (if applicable)

intervention_type_paca: the conservation intervention takes places through protected areas or conserved areas (yes; no)

intervention_type_restoration: the conservation intervention takes places through restoration (yes; no)

intervention_type_species_use: the conservation intervention takes places through species protection or sustainable use measures (yes; no)

intervention_type_livelihoods_tourism: the conservation intervention takes places through livelihoods support or tourism (yes; no)

intervention_type_incentives: the conservation intervention takes places through incentives, compensation schemes, or market instruments (yes; no)

intervention_type_education: the conservation intervention takes places through education or capacity building (yes; no)

intervention_type_stewardship: the conservation intervention takes places through local/indigenous stewardship (yes; no)

description_primary_type: short description of the primary conservation type

description_secondary_type: short description of any additional conservation types (if applicable)

study_covers_governance: the paper describes governance processes (yes; no)

iplc_involved: indigenous people and/or local communities are involved in the conservation intervention (no; yes, partially; yes, locally-led)

description_governance: short description of the governance process and main actors involved

additional_notes: notes and/or remarks about conservation intervention/governance

ecological_outcomes_incl: study describes ecological outcomes or conservation effectiveness (yes; no)

ecological_outcomes: the reported ecological outcomes are positive, negative, or mixed (positive; negative; mixed; N/A)

social_outcomes_incl: study describes social impacts or outcomes associated with conservation (yes; no)

social_outcomes: the reported social outcomes are positive, negative, or mixed (positive; negative; mixed; N/A)

Data collection for this dataset was funded by the Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB) of the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) under the JustConservation project.