Guidelines for action plans for animal species: planning recovery (Nature and environment No. 92) (1997)

Although permanent habitat protection and sound ecosystem management are the keys to preserving the diversity of species in Europe in the long term, highly threatened species often require urgent and precise measures to stop their decline. These measures frequently adopt the form of an "action plan", a species-oriented conservation tool which has been widely used in thé United States and Europe. This report analyses the use and limitations of action plans for animal species and proposes some guidelines for their elaboration and implementation.