A standardized definition of rapid evidence assessment for environmental applications
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Evidence assessment—identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing data and findings from previous studies—is important to inform environmental decision-making but can be slow and resource intensive. Users seeking efficiency have developed multiple definitions and methods for rapid evidence assessment (REA), raising concerns about consistency and rigor. To improve consistency and confidence in REA, we convened an international group of evidence users and researchers to define REA for environmental applications. Through a consensus-driven and iterative approach, we define REA as: a structured review process that aims to maximize rigor and objectivity given assessment needs and resource constraints; is transparent about trade-offs, risks, and biases; and can integrate multiple types of evidence. Our standardized definition of REA will improve transparency and facilitate decisions about the appropriate levels of rigor required for those who commission, conduct, and use REAs for environmental decision-making.
Date Issued
2026-01-01
Date Acceptance
2025-11-13
Citation
Conservation Letters, 2026, 19 (1)
ISSN
1755-263X
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
Conservation Letters
Volume
19
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Conservation Letters published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41816505
Subjects
assessment
conservation
ecology
environmental management
evidence
synthesis
systematic review
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
e70005
Date Publish Online
2026-01-14