Spatial conservation prioritization is used globally to guide decision making with the aim of delivering the best conservation gain per unit investment. However, despite many publications on the topic, the extent to which this approach is used by decision makers has been unclear. To investigate the degree to which prioritization has been adopted by practitioners to guide conservation implementation, we conducted an online survey, collecting data on the approaches used to develop prioritizations and the reported extent of translation to on‐the‐ground action. Using a cluster analysis, we identified two categories of prioritizations, those developed to advance the field (42% of responses) and those intended for implementation (58% of responses). Respondents reported 74% of the prioritizations intended for implementation had translated to on‐the‐ground action. Additionally, we identified strong collaboration between academics and practitioners in prioritization development, suggesting a bridging of the theory‐practice gap. We recommend continued collaboration and research into the effectiveness of prioritizations in delivering conservation impacts.

中文翻译：

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空间保护优先次序的使用和有用性

全球范围内优先使用空间保护优先级来指导决策制定，以实现每单位投资的最佳保护收益。但是，尽管有关该主题的出版物很多，但决策者使用这种方法的程度尚不清楚。为了调查从业人员在何种程度上采用优先次序来指导保护工作的实施，我们进行了在线调查，收集了用于制定优先次序的方法的数据以及据报道转化为实际行动的程度。通过聚类分析，我们确定了两类优先级，优先级是为了推动该领域而开发的（42％的响应）和拟实施的优先级（58％的响应）。受访者表示，计划实施的优先事项中有74％已转化为实地行动。此外，我们发现学者和从业者在确定优先次序方面有很强的合作关系，这表明弥合了理论与实践之间的鸿沟。我们建议继续合作和研究优先次序在传递保护影响方面的有效性。