Here, an evidence base refers to a body of knowledge about how socio- ecological systems behave. The evidence base includes knowledge ranging from scientific assessments to traditional knowledge and may exist in many forms including white papers, reports, peer reviewed literature, primary data, interviews, traditional oral accounts, government records, and social media content. At each stage of the Conservation by Design 2.0 process described below, teams will draw upon and contribute to an evidence base. While Conservation by Design has always included ‘capture and share knowledge’ as a relevant step within a cyclic and iterative adaptive management approach, by integrating evidence use and capturing learning into each step we expect to foster an organizational culture that helps us learn and share knowledge more consistently and effectively. This Guidance document makes it clear that evidence is an essential input to — and output of — each step.
