Navigating multiple objectives, partners, and jurisdictions: Decision analysis for range‐wide conservation planning for an at‐risk species

Abstract Recovery planning for wide‐ranging, at‐risk species requires navigating multiple objectives, diverse partners, and complex jurisdictional boundaries. We describe a collaborative, multi‐partner, multi‐objective structured decision making process to develop a range‐wide conservation planning framework to recover an at‐risk species—the gopher frog Lithobates capito . We linked existing habitat models and population viability analysis with optimization approaches to predict future population persistence, redundancy, and representation at multiple scales, given combinations of management actions. The process identified optimal, site‐specific management strategies that balanced population outcomes and cost, depending on the weight decision makers could assign to those objectives. Our work contributes an example of designing rigorous species recovery planning frameworks that leverage ecological data and shared objectives across the species' range while also allowing species' needs, management options and constraints, and managers' priorities to vary by site or jurisdiction. Our approach using structured decision making to co‐develop a conservation planning framework can be adapted for other at‐risk or listed species to coordinate partners across a species' range, identify common objectives, share and leverage knowledge, and inform cost‐effective management decisions at local to range‐wide scales.