Pathways to Success: Taking Conservation to Scale in Complex Systems

As environmental problems grow larger and more pressing, conservationists have had to adapt. With a shrinking window of time to act, they are turning to broad approaches to combat continental- and global-scale crises of biodiversity loss, invasive species, and climate change. Pathways to Success--the long-awaited successor to the classic volume Measures of Success--is a modern guide to building large-scale transformative programs capable of tackling the complex conservation crises we face today.

In this strikingly illustrated volume, coauthors Nick Salafsky and Richard Margoluis walk readers through fundamental concepts of effective program-level design, helping them to think strategically about project coordination, funding, and stakeholder input. Chapters in the first part of the book look at all aspects of designing and implementing large-scale conservation programs while the second part focuses on how to use data and information to manage, adapt, and learn from program strategies. In addition, the authors offer practical advice for avoiding pitfalls, such as formulaic recipes and simplistic silver-bullet solutions that can trip up otherwise well-intentioned efforts. Abundant graphics help to explain and clarify concepts presented in the text, and a glossary in the back matter defines technical terms for the reader.

Pathways to Success is the definitive guide for conservation program managers and funders who want to increase the scale and effectiveness of their work combating biodiversity loss, climate change, and other pressing environmental issues.


Author: Nick Salafsky, Richard A. Margoluis
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 12/02/2021
Pages: 328
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.90h x 6.90w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781642831351

About the Author
Nick Salafsky is Executive Director of Foundations of Success, the Product Manager of Miradi Adaptive Management Software, and one of the initial founders of the Conservation Measures Partnership. Over the past two decades he has worked with hundreds of conservation projects and programs around the world on strategic planning, adaptive management, and cross-program learning.

Richard Margoluis is Chief Adaptive Management and Evaluation Officer at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation where he and his team support grant-making in environmental conservation, basic science, patient care, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining the Moore Foundation, Richard worked with Nick as codirector of Foundations of Success and was also one of the initial founders of the Conservation Measures Partnership.