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The Nature Conservancy achieves conservation results by designing and implementing conservation projects at multiple scales. Over the past 15 years, the Conservancy has developed an integrated process for planning, implementing, and measuring conservation success for its conservation projects. This process is known as the Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process. The CAP process has been tested with a wide range of projects from different parts of the world and is supported by a network of trained CAP professionals that make up the Efroymson Coaches Network for Conservation Action Planning.
Conservation Action Planning addresses a complete project cycle at any scale—including design, implementation and evaluation. The guidance and tools associated with the CAP process can:

• identify the project’s biodiversity of interest and its current and desired status;
• identify the most critical threats currently or likely to degrade the biodiversity;
• recognize the social, economic, political and cultural factors contributing to the threats or representing opportunities to enhance the biodiversity;
• develop strategies to abate the threats and maintain or restore the biodiversity based on the situation at hand;
• estimate costs required to implement strategies; and,
• implement the strategies, monitor the outcomes and use that information to adapt and learn throughout the life of the project.

Conservation Action Planning can be executed for any project at any scale. When regional priorities have been set, Conservation Action Planning is used to determine the plan of action for these priorities. As actions are taken and outcomes are measured, conservation action plans are revised to incorporate new knowledge.
The CAP process guides project teams to identify effective conservation strategies. A brief summary of the CAP Process is provided here. For a full set of CAP and Efroymson Coaches Network news, tools, training opportunities, examples, and guidance documents, click here.

The Nature Conservancy's Washington Chapter is in the process of completing CAPs for our six landscape sites and is working with outside partners on several other planning projects. This planning method has been used in Washington by a diverse group of partners including US Fish and Wildlife Service, WA Department of Fish and Wildlife, San Juan County and the Clackamas tribe.

You can download completed CAP documents here. For more information of this planning process, contact , Associate Director of Science, The Nature Conservancy.

Moses Coulee Conservation Area CAP
Yellow Island CAP
Tieton River Forest Collaborative – Coming Soon
San Juan County MRC – Coming Soon