Samenvatting
Effective wildlife conservation depends fundamentally on the quality, coherence, and implementation of conservation
policies at local, national, and international scales. Europe's multilevel conservation policy architecture -- encompassing
the EU Habitats Directive, Birds Directive, CITES, the Bern Convention, and national species action plans -- represents
one of the most comprehensive regulatory frameworks for wildlife protection globally, yet persistent implementation gaps,
funding shortfalls, and cross-border coordination failures continue to undermine conservation outcomes for many priority
species. This review synthesises evidence from 186 primary studies (2005-2024) examining the effectiveness,
compliance, and policy design features of wildlife conservation frameworks in European contexts. Policy effectiveness
was evaluated across five dimensions: legal stringency, implementation consistency, enforcement capacity, adaptive
management provisions, and cross-border coordination mechanisms. The EU Habitats Directive's Article 17 reporting
cycle -- assessing favourable conservation status for Annex II species every six years -- provides the most systematic
pan-European evidence base for policy outcome evaluation, with the most recent 2019 assessment reporting only 15%
of assessed species in favourable status. Key policy design features associated with improved conservation outcomes
include: species-specific action plans with quantified targets, dedicated funding mechanisms, independent monitoring,
and transboundary management agreements. Emerging policy instruments -- biodiversity net gain requirements,
payment for ecosystem services, and the EU Nature Restoration Law -- are evaluated for their potential to address
persistent implementation gaps. A framework for evidence-based wildlife policy evaluation and reform is presented.