Sociopolitical factors drive conservation planning timelines: A Canadian case study with global implications

Abstract With global biodiversity declines, government regulations protecting wildlife serve a key role in species persistence. Despite its importance, planning for protection can be a slow process, taking up to several decades. Such delays have led to species declines and extinction. Here, we investigate the factors driving time between conservation listing and the creation of a plan to support species recovery. Using Canada's Species at Risk Act as a case study, we used Cox proportional-hazards models to test how quickly a species designatable unit (DU) would receive a recovery plan given the reasons for its designation, conservation status, taxon, sociopolitical climate, the extent of scientific research, and public awareness. AIC model selection revealed that sociopolitical factors best explained how quickly a DU would receive a plan. We found that the time for a DU to receive a plan decreased the more often a majority government was in power, the fewer environmental bills passed, and the lower average GDP growth rate during planning. Our results highlight the need for greater consistency in species recovery planning based on conservation needs and status, regardless of sociopolitical climate. We recommend further examination of the relationship between time for recovery planning and plan effectiveness to elucidate how planning delays impact species recovery.