Facilitation and Decision Making

Conservation management requires good decision making to achieve what we really want for species and ecosystem recovery.

Simple decisions are simple. But what do we do when decisions become more complex and how to do we capture the values of all partners and stakeholders?

Structured decision making is a process that has been characterised as “a formalisation of common sense for decision problems which are too complex for informal use of common sense” (Keeny 1982).

It is based on a conceptual iterative process in which objectives are explicitly stated, clearly defined alternative management strategies are evaluated in terms of their expected outcomes, and trade-offs are solved while explicitly accounting for uncertainty. The adoption of SDM can facilitate a more transparent approach to management decisions.

SDM does not guarantee positive outcomes; rather it ensures the most rational decision is made given the stated objectives and the available information.

Kevin has facilitated conservation decision making for Chatham Island black robins, kuaka/Whenua Hou diving petrel, yellow-crowned kākāriki and weka, along with being a participant in structured decision making processes for hihi and short-tailed bats. He has also co-delivered training workshops on structured decision making. He is always ready to help facilitate difficult conservation problems, big or small, in the most transparent and effective way possible.