The Conservationist's Toolkit: A critical review of the need for a conceptual framework of both in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies to ensure the success of restoration ecology

The acceleration of climate change and concomitant anthropogenic impacts on the natural world have led to claims from the scientific community that the Earth is currently experiencing its sixth mass extinction event. This review examines the existing literature using Boolean search methodologies and critical assessment of conservation research to establish the techniques and strategies being deployed, with a focus on restoration ecology. From this review, a lack of centralised reference materials was identified. This review provides an overview of current strategies for conservation, developing a toolkit in the form of a conceptual framework that can be adopted by conservationists and restoration ecologists. The purpose of the toolkit is to provide a concentrated reference guide of necessary considerations obtained through examination of a wide range of restoration literature. The format of the produced framework is based on a three-pillar structure with the three key areas identified from literature as, 1) knowledge, 2) tools and 3) collaboration. The framework asks key questions across these areas and explores the different types of knowledge, resources and relationships that contribute to successful projects. Results of this review show that a wide range of variables must be considered carefully when planning restoration ecology projects. By remaining adaptable, successful results can be obtained through conservation projects, whether they are focused on the maintenance of species in captivity or enhancing wild populations. [Display omitted] •Restoration ecology has a broad range of variables that lead to success or failure.•The conservationist's toolkit is a framework to assist in understanding the knowledge, tools and collaboration required for restoration projects.•Researchers in the field of restoration ecology should remain flexible and make use of many different fields of study to achieve their goals.