Fig. 1

The primary stages of systematic conservation planning [modified from 9]. This is an iterative, rather than a linear process, with feedbacks in light of new data or logistical considerations. The box around stages 8 and 9 indicates the spatial prioritisation stages during which computational decision-analysis tools are often used. This figure represents the dominant framework available for systematic conservation planning and has been adopted in the pending World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Best Practice Guidelines [77]