Conflicts in Conservation: Navigating Towards Solutions

unified long-term data collection and management efforts. As usual, the marine community seem to be ahead of the curve, complete with their own long-standing Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) under the leadership of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, and the Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) which have ‘high impact in responding to scientific and societal issues and a high feasibility of sustained observation’. Chapter 7 highlights the special issues posed by monitoring freshwater biodiversity. Freshwater ecosystems possibly bear the greatest brunt of anthropogenic impacts, and are most important for our continued existence. Unfortunately, it seems they have once again slipped through the net – neglected by the bigger data management initiatives – leaving us in the dark for many of the key questions we need to answer. While the past decade has seen encouraging progress, there’s a long road ahead. Chapter 8 provides a very nice entry into biodiversityrelevant remote sensing (RS) applications in the terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, and ways to integrate them with in situ observations. I wish it existed when I first began dabbling in RS. There is strong focus on using RS data as input data for species distribution models or as proxies for various forms of biodiversity or ecosystem functions. Without doubt, the success of any BON will depend on its ability to integrate logistically constrained in situ observations with RS data to allow extrapolation for broader coverage. Chapter 9 addresses citizen science programs, highlighting examples of good programmes and providing guidance on practical considerations from tools and data standards to motivating volunteers. Chapter 10 looks at modelling changes in biodiversity in space and time, inferring drivers and projecting expectations. It provides some sorely needed discussion around scaling between spatial and temporal scales and integrating data types to address key questions and gaps in our observations. Chapter 11 covers biodiversity data management and standards – a highly relevant topic in the age of open data and scientific accountability. Unfortunately, the chapter does not soften the blow for your average biodiversity scientist. I am not sure one could? Perhaps the best approach is to keep us in the dark and bait us with irresistibly useful research tools with built-in data standards? I can already hear my data manager berating me for not meeting her half way. Chapter 12 explores communicating biodiversity science for policy and decision-making. It focuses on developing biodiversity indicators and touches on the utility of biodiversity assessments. It is a succinct and pragmatic chapter that is well worth reading. It also repeatedly highlights the biggest concern I had with the book up to this point in that ‘The key, in fact, is not to start with the data, but rather with the question that decision-makers need answering. ’ While easily accessible, large, well-curated data sets will be incredibly useful, ‘. focusing solely on improving observing systems will not guarantee more evidenceinformed decision-making’. Hopefully, the second edition will place more focus on the questions. Chapter 13 focuses on capacity building (predominantly institutional) and describes a few case studies of biodiversity observation initiatives at the national, regional and global scales. It ends with a useful list of important considerations when developing a biodiversity observation programme.