Failure: a key step in the success of effective conservation action

Motivational posters hail the power of it and scientific enquiry is constructed around it. ‘Failure’ is recognised as being vital for success in many fields but is seldom embraced in conservation science. In fact, conservationists work hard in the academic literature, in their communication with donors and within the public arena to either hide or reframe their failures as successful outcomes. This session will discuss the drivers for this approach and consider how better to foster an appreciation of failure within conservation science. Case study examples will be used to demonstrate the contribution that failure can make to conservation. This should be considered a key component of effective conservation action and will allow conservationists to build on previous experience. We will also challenge the audience to rethink their own failures, what they learnt and ways that we can all better share this information across the field.