A rapid assessment of the current status of project management skills in the conservation sector

Abstract

A lack of project management skills in the conservation sector may, in part, be contributing to the gap between conservation research and implementation. This study used an online survey to assess the need for project management skills, the demand and supply of project management training, and the barriers to that training in the conservation sector. We received a total of 250 responses from conservationists representing 141 organisations and 52 countries. Ninety eight percent of respondents thought that project management skills were important for them to be effective in their current role, but over 66% of respondents assessed themselves as having insufficient competency in project management skills. Seventy percent of respondents reported receiving project management training before, but only 10% had project management certification. Over 75% of respondents were interested in additional training, but lack of funds was identified as a major barrier to receiving training. European conservationists valued project management skills less than conservationists from Asia. The results suggest that an increased availability of affordable, certified project management training would enable the conservation sector as a whole to achieve more measurable impact.