Despite increasing recognition that integrating evolutionary theory into conservation decisions can achieve better long‐term outcomes, there has been little progress adapting management strategies. A commonly hypothesized barrier to better integration is poor understanding of evolutionary biology among conservation practitioners. To assess this claim, we surveyed conservation practitioners to determine their understanding of evolutionary concepts. We found that most practitioners had a good understanding of general concepts (evolution and genetic diversity), but a much poorer understanding of other relevant concepts. These findings suggest that knowledge is limiting the ability of conservation practitioners to effectively manage evolutionary processes. Encouragingly, practitioners educated in evolutionary biology and population genetics had a better understanding, suggesting focused training is important. However, better integration of evolutionary theory will require that evolutionary biologists develop a culture of knowledge exchange, actively engaging practitioners to improve management. Otherwise, our findings suggest it is unlikely practitioners will be able to adapt their practices.

中文翻译：

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对进化论的理解不充分是有效保护管理的障碍

尽管人们越来越认识到将进化论整合到保护决策中可以取得更好的长期效果，但是在适应管理策略方面进展甚微。人们普遍认为，更好地整合的障碍是保护从业人员对进化生物学的了解不足。为了评估这一主张，我们对保护从业人员进行了调查，以确定他们对进化概念的理解。我们发现，大多数从业者对一般概念（进化和遗传多样性）有很好的理解，但对其他相关概念的理解却较差。这些发现表明，知识限制了保护从业人员有效管理进化过程的能力。令人鼓舞的 在进化生物学和种群遗传学方面受过教育的从业人员有了更好的理解，这表明重点培训很重要。然而，进化论理论的更好整合将要求进化生物学家发展一种知识交流的文化，积极地与从业者合作以改善管理。否则，我们的发现表明，从业者不太可能会适应他们的做法。