What is stewardship and why do we care?
Effective stewardship of animal tracking networks is vital for the sustainable management of wildlife populations. It requires a balanced approach that considers ecological science, technology, ethics, policy, and community engagement to ensure that tracking efforts contribute to the long-term conservation of species and their habitats.
An animal tracking network fulfils a community stewardship role in this, and with that come responsibilities too: represent the tracking network moving towards suitability of equipment and actions, guard the (ethical) obligations toward good animal welfare practices in the field, and represent and encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of its membership base.
These stewardship aspects are embedded in ETN's core values. Through our network of infrastructure, scientists, data, and knowledge, we take the following actions to fulfill our stewardship role.
Key aspects
ETN defined several tracking network stewardship key aspects which are outlined below:
Sustainability
Role & responsibility
Represent the tracking network in pushing for suitability of equipment and actions
Recommended actions
- Voice the need to improve product sustainability to the manufacturers.
- Establish relationships with other initiatives working on equipment sustainability
- Provide up to date information on actions network members can take to improve their sustainability
- Centralise meeting points to facilitate sustainable travel
Animal welfare
Role & responsibility
Guard the (ethical) obligations toward good animal welfare practices in the field
Recommended actions
- Provide up to date information on best practice on animal handing
- Enable network community discussions to learn and improve on best practices
DEI (diverse, equitable and inclusive)
Role & responsibility
Embracing a diverse, equitable and inclusive tracking community and represent the diversity within the community
Recommended actions
- Create a mission statement that includes network vision on DEI
- Perform a network wide DEI GAP analysis
- Take directed actions to bridge the gaps identified
Useful Links
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | UN Global Compact: https://unglobalcompact.org/take-action/action/dei
- ETN data policy, includes a statement on stewardship, https://lifewatch.be/etn/assets/docs/ETN-DataPolicy.pdf
- AniBOS – Animal Borne Ocean Sensors, will come with tagging advise: AniBOS – Animal Borne Ocean Sensors
Inclusive practices in ecology
- https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025_Pride-in-STEM-report.pdf
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.7321
Inclusive fieldwork guidelines
Environmental stewardship guidelines
Personal reflexivity
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability/article/toward-an-intersectional-equity-approach-in-socialecological-transformations/98629180847D7BBB69AD1CF501EE351C
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.696180/full (open access)