Increasingly intensive strategies to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function are being deployed in response to global anthropogenic threats, including intentionally introducing and eradicating species via assisted migration, rewilding, biological control, invasive species eradications, and gene drives. These actions are highly contentious because of their potential for unintended consequences. We conducted a global literature review of these conservation actions to quantify how often unintended outcomes occur and to elucidate their underlying causes. To evaluate conservation outcomes, we developed a community assessment framework for systematically mapping the range of possible interaction types for 111 case studies. Applying this tool, we quantified the number of interaction types considered in each study and documented the nature and strength of intended and unintended outcomes. Intended outcomes were reported in 51% of cases, a combination of intended outcomes and unintended outcomes in 26%, and strictly unintended outcomes in 10%. Hence, unintended outcomes were reported in 36% of all cases evaluated. In evaluating overall conservations outcomes (weighing intended vs. unintended effects), some unintended effects were fairly innocuous relative to the conservation objective, whereas others resulted in serious unintended consequences in recipient communities. Studies that assessed a greater number of community interactions with the target species reported unintended outcomes more often, suggesting that unintended consequences may be underreported due to insufficient vetting. Most reported unintended outcomes arose from direct effects (68%) or simple density-mediated or indirect effects (25%) linked to the target species. Only a few documented cases arose from more complex interaction pathways (7%). Therefore, most unintended outcomes involved simple interactions that could be predicted and mitigated through more formal vetting. Our community assessment framework provides a tool for screening future conservation actions by mapping the recipient community interaction web to identify and mitigate unintended outcomes from intentional species introductions and eradications for conservation.

中文翻译：

---

评估有意引入和根除物种的意外后果，以改善保护管理

为了应对全球人为威胁，正在部署越来越密集的战略来维持生物多样性和生态系统功能，包括通过辅助迁移、野化、生物控制、入侵物种根除和基因驱动来有意引入和根除物种。这些行为具有高度争议性，因为它们可能会产生意想不到的后果。我们对这些保护行动进行了全球文献回顾，以量化意外结果发生的频率并阐明其根本原因。为了评估保护结果，我们开发了一个社区评估框架，用于系统地绘制 111 个案例研究的可能交互类型的范围。应用这个工具，我们量化了每项研究中考虑的交互类型的数量，并记录了预期和非预期结果的性质和强度。51% 的病例报告了预期结果，26% 的病例报告了预期结果和非预期结果，10% 报告了严格的非预期结果。因此，在所有评估的病例中，有 36% 报告了意外结果。在评估整体保护结果（权衡预期与非预期影响）时，一些非预期影响相对于保护目标是相当无害的，而另一些则在接受社区造成严重的意外后果。评估与目标物种的更多社区互动的研究更频繁地报告了意外结果，这表明由于审查不足，意外后果可能被低估了。大多数报告的意外结果来自与目标物种相关的直接影响（68%）或简单的密度介导或间接影响（25%）。只有少数记录在案的案例来自更复杂的交互途径（7%）。因此，大多数意外结果都涉及简单的交互，这些交互可以通过更正式的审查来预测和减轻。我们的社区评估框架提供了一个筛选未来保护行动的工具，通过绘制受援社区互动网络来识别和减轻有意引入物种和根除保护的意外结果。大多数意外结果都涉及简单的互动，这些互动可以通过更正式的审查来预测和减轻。我们的社区评估框架提供了一个筛选未来保护行动的工具，通过绘制受援社区互动网络来识别和减轻有意引入物种和根除保护的意外结果。大多数意外结果都涉及简单的互动，这些互动可以通过更正式的审查来预测和减轻。我们的社区评估框架提供了一个筛选未来保护行动的工具，通过绘制受援社区互动网络来识别和减轻有意引入物种和根除保护的意外结果。