Mainstreaming the social sciences in conservation |
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| Authors: | Nathan J Bennett Robin Roth Sarah C Klain Kai M A Chan Douglas A Clark Georgina Cullman Graham Epstein Michael Paul Nelson Richard Stedman Tara L Teel Rebecca E W Thomas Carina Wyborn Deborah Curran Alison Greenberg John Sandlos Diogo Veríssimo |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada;2. School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.;3. Global Economics and Social Science Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.;4. Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada;5. School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada;6. Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, NY, U.S.A.;7. Environmental Change and Governance Group, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada;8. Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, U.S.A.;9. Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, NY, U.S.A.;10. Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A.;11. Department of Parks and Recreation, Slippery Rock University, PA, U.S.A.;12. Luc Hoffmann Institute, WWF International, Gland, Switzerland;13. Environmental Law Centre and Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, University of Victoria, Victoria, B C, Canada;14. Department of History, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada;15. Rare, Arlington, VA, U.S.A.;16. Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Despite broad recognition of the value of social sciences and increasingly vocal calls for better engagement with the human element of conservation, the conservation social sciences remain misunderstood and underutilized in practice. The conservation social sciences can provide unique and important contributions to society's understanding of the relationships between humans and nature and to improving conservation practice and outcomes. There are 4 barriers—ideological, institutional, knowledge, and capacity—to meaningful integration of the social sciences into conservation. We provide practical guidance on overcoming these barriers to mainstream the social sciences in conservation science, practice, and policy. Broadly, we recommend fostering knowledge on the scope and contributions of the social sciences to conservation, including social scientists from the inception of interdisciplinary research projects, incorporating social science research and insights during all stages of conservation planning and implementation, building social science capacity at all scales in conservation organizations and agencies, and promoting engagement with the social sciences in and through global conservation policy‐influencing organizations. Conservation social scientists, too, need to be willing to engage with natural science knowledge and to communicate insights and recommendations clearly. We urge the conservation community to move beyond superficial engagement with the conservation social sciences. A more inclusive and integrative conservation science—one that includes the natural and social sciences—will enable more ecologically effective and socially just conservation. Better collaboration among social scientists, natural scientists, practitioners, and policy makers will facilitate a renewed and more robust conservation. Mainstreaming the conservation social sciences will facilitate the uptake of the full range of insights and contributions from these fields into conservation policy and practice. |
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| Keywords: | conservation biology conservation planning conservation science conservation social science environmental social science human dimensions natural resource management social– ecological systems biologí a de la conservació n ciencia de la conservació n ciencia social de la conservació n ciencia social ambiental dimensiones humanas manejo de recursos naturales planificació n de la conservació n sistemas socio‐ecoló gicos |
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