Linking monitoring data to conservation management through triggers for action

Deciding when to take management action is a fundamental challenge for conservation. Decision triggers formalise judgements about if, when and how to change the approach to management. This thesis developed and tested approaches to setting decision triggers for threatened species management, drawing on the knowledge of individual experts and groups of managers. The results show that experts can determine when and how to act if a species undergoes a decline, but highlight the benefits of setting triggers as a management group. The approaches developed in this thesis can assist conservation practitioners to make proactive management decisions to improve conservation outcomes.