Background

Species extinction is occurring at up to 1,000 times the natural rate. Currently, nearly 129,000 species have been assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and around 30% of these are threatened with extinction. Threatened species recovery programmes are essential for the restoration of ecosystems and do work, however, in order to meet the challenges of the extinction crisis the global conservation sector needs to do more to increase its effectiveness and maximise conservation impact. Such a process includes the identification of sector-wide competences which enable the development and adoption of competence and performance standards that can be integrated into qualifications, professional development, career paths and performance assessments, as well as driving organisational culture change.

Competence frameworks are widely used in many professional sectors, helping to develop capacity by defining and recognising the required skills, knowledge and personal attributes (Figure 1). Registers of competences have been developed within the conservation sector, including the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) a global register of competences for protected area practitioners. Until now, however, no equivalent overarching global competence register has existed for the species conservation sector. Here we present a register of competences in the form of a directory of the possible skills, knowledge and personal attributes required by practitioners working in threatened species recovery programmes around the world, in both in-situ and ex-situ contexts.

At a time when the conservation sector needs to be far more effective and deliver greater conservation impact, it is hoped that this Competence Register will demonstrate that ensuring the future of the planet’s biodiversity is a complex, multi-skilled profession, worthy of respect, recognition and support (Appleton, 2016).

Developing the Competence Register

In order to create an overarching competence framework for the global threatened species conservation sector it was key that the development process incorporated significant international, external consultation with wide ranging experts in the field of threatened species recovery.  To achieve this, multiple consultation phases were conducted throughout the project to ensure a global focus to the framework.

In total, we gathered 3,821 lines of data to build the competence register, 1,557 comments through the consultation phases and engaged with 160 international experts representing 11 governments, 35 universities and institutes, 30 NGOs, 9 IUCN bodies and 70 IUCN specialist groups. The consultation phases included: 

Scoping: A rapid review was conducted of competence frameworks and registers from within the conservation and other sectors. This led to the determination that the Competence Register would follow closely the structure (i.e. how the competences are defined and organised) of a global register of competences for protected areas practitioners (Appleton, 2016). The Conservation Measures Partnership Conservation Actions Classification Scheme was also used to guide the design of the overall structure. 

Data collation: A wide set of published and unpublished literature likely to contain information relevant to competences in threatened species recovery were searched and reviewed. This included systematic internet searches of job descriptions, training needs assessments, and capacity development plans within the species conservation sector. Relevant best practice and technical guidelines, such as those published by the IUCN, were reviewed for competence-related information along with existing competence registers/frameworks from outside the conservation sector. These raw data were then reviewed and sorted to facilitate review and refinement at expert workshops. 

Expert workshops: Two workshops were conducted with a set of international experts to review and refine the rough competence statements, identify gaps and provide additional information on the skills, knowledge and personal attributes required by threatened species recovery practitioners. 

Targeted consultation: The draft Competence Register was shared for consultation with selected Chairs of the disciplinary IUCN SSC Specialist Groups and targeted user groups; in-situ conservation programmes, ex-situ facilities, government departments, training/ educational institutes, human resource departments and early career practitioners. The aim was to review the content and functionality of the draft Competence Register within real life circumstances, for multiple taxonomic groups and in line with existing IUCN documents and guidelines. 

Review and refinement: The draft Competence Register was systematically reviewed and refined by the core team. During group sessions the structure, categories and each individual competence were reviewed and standardised, generating a near-final structure and set of competences. 

Wider consultation: Finally, the Competence Register was sent for review by the wider conservation community, targeting the IUCN SSC and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums member networks. The consultation was hosted on an online platform to ensure accessibility and international participation.  

How to use the Competence Register

User groups include, but are not limited to: 

• In-situ programmes 
• Ex-situ facilities 
• Scientists/academics 
• Human resource departments 
• Non-government organisations 
• Government departments  
• Trainers and educators 
• Students and learners 
• Early career practitioners. 

Ways to use the Competence Register: 

• Developing national standards 
• Aiding the preparation of job descriptions  
• Assessing and identifying priority needs for individual capacity development  
• Identifying capacity development needs for organisations or programmes  
• Generating support and funding for threatened species recovery 
• Designing and assessing training curricula and courses  
• Ensuring capacity development reflects local priorities and needs  
• Browsing for ideas  
• Organising information 
• Cross-referencing the competences to other programmes support tools  

Contact Us

If you are keen to adopt the Competence Register within your programme or organisation but need additional help, please contact us here.

We are keen to understand how the Competence Register is being adopted and adapted by programmes and organisations and the impact it is having on conservation effectiveness. Please contact us here if you are, or plan to, use the Competence Register so that we can track and evaluate its impact and alterations required.