Navigating spaces for implementing raptor research and conservation under varying levels of violence and governance in the Global South

摘要

The Global South harbors a large share of imperiled biodiversity. Effective research and conservation in the Global South are negatively affected by weak or turbulent socio-political contexts, such as poor governance and/or high violence levels. There is a need to understand how priorities for research and conservation relate to different levels of violence and governance, in order to highlight opportunities and challenges for biodiversity conservation. We explore the spatial overlap between density of violence and raptor research and conservation priorities, and unveil the effect of considering governance and violence when prioritizing areas for raptor research and conservation. Raptors are a group of species potentially highly affected by violence that may lead to proliferation of firearms and uncontrolled wildlife resource extraction. We found low spatial correlation between raptor research and conservation priorities and violence in the Global South. Exceptions are represented by distinct areas of high or increasing violence and that are important for raptors, such as the central African Rift Valley and west Yemen. We also highlight emerging potential opportunities, such as coastal West Africa, where violence is decreasing. Overall, while we show that governance and violence only marginally affected the distribution of raptor priority areas, results also highlight spatio-temporal dynamics in violence and governance that should be considered when navigating the research-implementation space in the Global South. In these regions it is crucial to focus on societal issues to reduce social and economic inequalities, stabilize unsafe regions and promote community-led initiatives that would mutually benefit people and wildlife.