Human reactions to conservation interventions can trigger unintended feedbacks resulting in poor conservation outcomes. This Ph.D. improves our understanding of the role these unintended feedbacks play in conservation science, and provides recommendations for conservation practice.
In chapter two, I create a typology of unintended feedbacks from a social-ecological systems perspective showing how these undermine conservation efforts. Chapter three is an exploration and empirical assessment for modelling unintended feedback effects of setting aside land for conservation. In chapter four I develop a dynamic systematic conservation planning approach by modelling changes in forest connectivity and farmland opportunity costs, and compare outputs with a static approach. In chapter five I apply the model to multiple policy-relevant targets of Atlantic Forest restoration in Brazil, providing recommendations for farmland set-aside priorities.
A dynamic systematic conservation planning approach can help decision-makers maximise existing economic incentives by prioritising areas with higher informational rent capture without increasing overall programme cost.