ICCB 2025 – Brisbane/Meanjin, Australia

A huge thanks to all who joined the Impact Evaluation Working Group (IEWG) events at ICCB 2025 in Brisbane/Meanjin! Here’s a quick recap of what we accomplished together:

Lunchtime Forum (June 16)

We had over 75 participants engage in our roundtable discussions on counterfactual evaluation across conservation sectors – including marine resource management, forestry and restoration, biodiversity credits, species conservation, and the illegal wildlife trade. Great energy, ideas, and connections made. Thanks to everyone who participated so thoughtfully!

Social at Southbank Beer Garden (June 16)

Over 25 of us gathered for food, drinks, and lively conversation. It was wonderful to connect in a more informal setting – thank you for making it such a fun evening!

Extended Symposium (June 18)

The symposium included awesome presentations about future directions for counterfactual impact evaluation in conservation from Alex Caruana, Rachel Martin, Guy Lomax, Molly Grace, Tien Ming Lee, Ranaivo Rasolofason, Ash Simkins and myself. This sparked discussion during and after the symposium around causal assumptions, synthetic controls, RCTs, and how to push the field forward across different sectors. The diversity of case studies and methods really showcased the strength of our growing community.

IEWG Business Meeting (June 19)

We had great turnout and engagement around new ideas, collaborations, and ways to get more involved. It’s clear the IEWG is growing fast – and with your help, we’ll keep that momentum going.

Finally, if you didn’t spot the first edition of our Research Briefings sent out shortly before ICCB, please see below. We welcome comments and/or feedback! Thanks again for being part of it all – and see you at the next ICCB!

Best,
Tanya on behalf of the IEWG Board