To maximize opportunities for colonization and reduce the probability of extinction, Diamond recommended large, compact, closely spaced, connected reserves. However, species with limited ability to disperse and requirements for specific habitats found in small, dispersed patches may need several small reserves, and corridors may facilitate the spread of introduced species, diseases, or fire. Preserves in ecotones are likely to be valuable for organisms with low mobility as the climate changes. A coarse-filter approach to protection prioritizes ecosystems that contain high biodiversity, such as biological hotspots. In gap analysis, the distributions of selected taxa are compared to the locations of protected areas to identify priority areas for additional protection. Reserves may have a variety of levels of protection. Some conservation biologists advocate using the absence of human influence as the benchmark for strictly protected reserves. Restoration should conserve key processes, structures, and interactions such as fire in native prairie. Restoration should also address both abiotic and biotic elements of an ecosystem. Advocates of rewilding support the restoration of animals, especially megafauna, to their former ranges through reintroductions .

This chapter is a practical guide for navigating international environmental conferences, focusing on what there is to these events beyond the negotiations. It sensitizes readers to the existence and specificities of conference spaces and practices such as side events, the corridors, and civil society protests, first touching upon spaces within conference venues before zooming out to consider how conferences manifest outside and beyond their dedicated venue. Building on this scene-setting, the chapter outlines the distinction between using the various conference spaces as sites for data collection and treating them as research objects in their own right. It especially underscores the need for comparative research across processes, notably by providing novel insights on the side-event phenomenon. The chapter makes explicit much of the implicit knowledge that enables seasoned participants to smoothly navigate these events and aims to stimulate scholarship that advances our understanding of the multifaceted nature of these conferences and their constitutive parts.

Two case studies are introduced. First, a quantitative method for assessing the need for ecological networks through modeling the potential geographic distributions of species based on a case study of local populations of Asiatic black bear is presented. Second, genetic variation of Asiatic black bear in Tohoku region, Japan, are reported. To determine how population subdivision relates to management units proposed by the Ministry of the Environment, genetic variation in the mitochondrial DNA control region and seven autosomal microsatellite loci was assessed in bears captured in northern Japan. Geographic distribution of the subpopulations was assessed using landscape analyses to find the best-fit model based on maximum entropy prediction and cost of movement. Finally, how human–bear conflicts, nuisance control, and traditional hunting may affect conservation and management of Asiatic black bears in southern Tohoku area, where large suitable habitats for this species exist, are also shown.