Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Evidence-based management is a term introduced to the field of conservation in the 1990s. As research and scientific thinking evolve, terminology and methodology of an evidence-based approach should also progress. Evaluating the evidence-base behind conservation and management methods is crucial to ensure they are effective and not based on potentially misleading factors such as tradition, personal experience, or accepted dogmas. In this thesis, a literature search was performed to investigate the scientific support behind two common management methods of the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla): restocking and restoring migration routes. The 39 articles reviewed demonstrate the diversity of parameters investigated within restocking and restoring migration routes and highlight the difficulties posed by the knowledge gaps in the European eel's lifecycle. Installed fish passages, one type of management measure to restore migration routes, are seldom evaluated for efficiency once operating and restocking has yet to show a net benefit for the population as a whole. While the scientific foundation of the management methods on a local scale may work as intended, it will take many years before results can be validated for the whole European eel population.