Artificial habitat structures for animal conservation: design and implementation, risks and opportunities

Habitat destruction and degradation, and their interaction with other threats, are driving animal declines worldwide. One approach increasingly proposed for mitigating these threats is to create artificial habitat structures as substitutes for destroyed natural structures. Here, we provide the first general definition of artificial habitat structures and synthesize important considerations for effective use. We show that they are a versatile conservation tool that have been trialed in a variety of contexts globally, to varying degrees of success. Their design must be well-informed by the drivers of natural habitat selection and their use should be part of an experimental framework to enable evaluation and refinement. We highlight possible ecological risks associated with their use and urge that artificial habitat structures are not used as inappropriate biodiversity offsets or for greenwashing. Looking forward, cross-disciplinary collaborations will help design sophisticated and effective structures to assist animal conservation in this era of rapid global change.