“To date, we have relied on the knowledge and experience of the partners in prioritising projects. We would very much welcome advice and support in the use of tools such as the Condatis software to make better informed decisions and to show where the most vulnerable points in our networks are.” D. Crawshaw, Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside
The Condatis project includes a Knowledge Exchange network to support the user community. The network aims to increase communication between researchers and decision makers who influence habitat creation and restoration actions. This will ensure that research can be guided by the most up to date experience within the practitioner community and that research findings can be incorporated into the decision making process for landscape-scale conservation.
The network is open to anyone with an interest in landscape-scale conservation, habitat connectivity and restoration planning. We maintain a mailing list, and hold training workshops and networking meetings for connecting to other users and sharing knowledge and good practice. We can also offer support with using Condatis and will be reviewing and updating the help files regularly. In order to be a success, the network needs input and feedback from its members and we are keen to hear from anyone with an interest in the project at any stage. To join the mailing list for regular updates on the Condatis project and its activites, please contact us.
The network was built by Katherine Allen, who held a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship from 2016 to 2020. Kath worked hard to facilitate and mainstream the use of habitat network models to prioritise conservation actions; she helped among other things to:
- Create and maintain a network of current and potential support tool users across multiple organisations and sectors
- Compare Condatis with other habitat network models and elucidate the advantages and disadvantages in likely applications
- Identify and synthesise the available sources of dispersal, species and habitat data, and streamline the process of obtaining and using them in spatial models
- Deliver several case study projects using Condatis
- Produce clear and accessible documentation for Condatis
Kath’s work was funded by NERC as “Facilitating the application of decision support tools for habitat creation”
We will use this strong foundation to continue supporting and engaging with users as much as we can from 2020 onwards.