COMET is a free, practitioner-focused repository of field-proven, cost-effective methods for monitoring conservation progress — grounded in both scientific and Indigenous ways of knowing. COMET addresses a key challenge in conservation practice: access to practical, adaptable monitoring techniques that help organizations measure impact, track progress, and improve results over time. Why do we need COMET? The conservation community has made huge advances in providing practitioners with vital guidance on a) rigorous, results-focused conservation planning, and b) evidence of what conservation actions in which contexts have proven effective. To advance further, this community needs: 1) publicly available sources of practical guidance…

This website (behavior-cmp.org) aims to be an additional resource to support applying behavior change theory when going through the Conservation Standards cycle.  The behavior change frameworks page provides a deep dive into the theory and thinking behind different frameworks evaluated to build a set of levers to help use behavior-centered design in conservation planning. Each lever subpage captures the definition of the lever, guidance on selecting strategies and building theories of change using the lever, lever applications, and other tips, such as lever combinations and common traps to avoid. Conservation challenges are often behavioral challenges. To solve them, it is…

Enhancing Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) When Practicing the Conservation Standards at USAID This supplemental guide offers practical advice for thinking and working politically (TWP) when practicing the Conservation Standards at USAID. The Conservation Standards are a widely used, systematic approach for planning, monitoring, and adapting programs aiming to conserve biodiversity. TWP is an approach to international development that brings greater attunement to the political dynamics of the local programming context in order to enhance development results. Given strong evidence that political factors overwhelmingly drive the loss of biodiversity, this guide is based on the premise that conservation programs will…

Planering och förvaltning av friluftsliv i skyddade områden – En handledning med utgångspunkt i Conservation Standards är resultatet av ett samarbete mellan FOS Europe och experter från svenska myndigheter med ansvar för förvaltning av skyddade områden. Gruppen sammankallades av Naturvårdsverket i syfte att harmonisera naturvården och friluftslivsförvaltningen i Sveriges skyddade områden. Metoden har utvecklats utifrån exempel från olika naturreservat och nationalparker i Sverige, och bygger på existerande förvaltningsplaner och erfarenheter från arbetet med att infoga friluftsliv i förvaltningen. Den har utsatts för omfattande fältförsök under etableringen av två nationalparker i Sverige (Bästeträsk och Nämdö). Lärdomar från detta har införlivats i…

Outdoor recreation planning & management in protected areas using the Conservation Standards is a product of collaboration between experts from protected area management authorities in Sweden and FOS Europe. The group was convened by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency with the intent to harmonise the management of conservation and outdoor recreation in the Swedish protected area network. The approach has been developed using examples from different Nature Reserves and National Parks in Sweden. This is an initial version built on existing management plans and experiences. We then applied it in depth with teams responsible for the designation of new National…

Effective conservation requires a shared language to identify and assess threats to ecosystems and species. Since 2008, the IUCN Species Survival Commission and Conservation Measures Partnership have maintained a unified Threats Classification to guide planning, action, and learning. Now, with input from thousands of projects and users, Version 4.0 is here and introduces refined categories, new threat types, and detailed modifiers for deeper analyses. Read more about this work in Conservation Biology here. This update enhances how practitioners address challenges like climate change, invasive species, and human impact—empowering more precise, impactful conservation efforts worldwide. Access the IUCN – CMP Threats…

test121212