Conservation Leadership A Practical Guide

"This book is an important guide for individuals seeking to develop and grow their leadership skills in the wildlife conservation sector, across varied disciplines such as environmental management, conservation biology and eco-tourism. Conservation Leadership addresses what leadership is, why it is important, and how to be an effective leader. It identifies common pitfalls in a leader's own thinking or behaviour, and the unexpected consequences or responses which can arise, and then explores more helpful alternative approaches to leadership. The book is divided into three parts: Part One: Leadership Principles Part Two: Four Areas of Profound Theory: Knowledge, Psychology, Systems and Variation Part Three: Skills and Competencies for Conservation Leaders It focuses on contextual and organizational challenges in conservation, including limited resources, remote locations, fragile species of concern, politics, community conflict, crime, and commercial pressures. The scope is global, using diverse examples such as sea turtle head-starting in South Asia, reforestation in North Africa, bird conservation in North America, human-wildlife interactions in the Himalayas, and post-colonial issues in the Caribbean. Case studies illustrate key learning points from small local teams through to global trans-national initiatives. Exercises in each chapter enable the exploration of less-familiar topics, including interpersonal skills, goal setting and performance measurement, plus a unique research-derived Conservation Leadership Self-Assessment Tool. This book is essential reading for professionals and senior leaders in the wildlife management and conservation sector, as well as students on biodiversity conservation, wildlife conservation and environmental management courses"--

This book is an important guide for individuals seeking to develop and grow their leadership skills in the wildlife conservation sector, across varied disciplines such as environmental management, conservation biology, and ecotourism. Conservation Leadership addresses what leadership is, why it is important, and how to be an effective leader. It identifies the common pitfalls or mistakes in a leader’s thinking or behaviour, and the unexpected consequences or responses which can arise, and then explores more helpful alternative approaches to leadership. The book is divided into three parts: Part I: Leadership principles Part II: Four areas of profound theory: knowledge, psychology, systems, and variation Part III: Skills and competencies for conservation leaders It focuses on contextual and organisational challenges in conservation, including limited resources, remote locations, fragile species of concern, politics, community conflict, crime, and commercial pressures. The scope is global, using diverse examples such as sea turtle head-starting in South Asia, reforestation in North Africa, bird conservation in North America, human–wildlife interactions in the Himalayas, and post-colonial issues in the Caribbean. Case studies illustrate key learning points from small local teams through to global transnational initiatives. Exercises in each chapter enable the exploration of less-familiar topics, including interpersonal skills, goal setting and performance measurement, plus a unique research-derived conservation leadership self-assessment tool. This book is an essential reading resource for professionals and senior leaders in the wildlife management and conservation sector, as well as students on biodiversity conservation, wildlife conservation, and environmental management courses.

This book examines leadership and management in natural resources, drawing on literature, principles, and the author’s own experiences as a leader and activist. Developing a general framework summarizing the leadership and management cycle in natural resources for practitioners, the book provides a synthesis of leadership theory and practice stemming from the personal and spiritual values of work, and the key principle of aligning organizational resources and actions with stated intentions. It discusses the somewhat unique context of natural resources, comprised of private and public goods and services and complex societal values. Key strategies that enable natural resource professionals to be leaders at all stages and positions in their career, including vision and sustainability, proficient human resources management, fairness and merit, and transparency and openness are analyzed. Case studies of famous natural resource leaders and activists, including Ding Darling, David Attenborough, Wangari Maathai, Marina de Silva, Greta Thunberg, Bob Brown, and Christina Koch, are included. The book examines their values, training, and principles and how they influenced national or global natural resource management. Drawing on the author’s own experiences as a leader and activist, including his role as Department Head at North Carolina State University, as an elected officer in the Society of American Foresters, and as an activist opposing the sale of the Hofmann Forest, the book provides practical examples and guidelines that professionals can consider and use in their careers. This book will be of great interest to natural resource managers and professionals as well as students studying environmental management and natural resource governance and to practitioners who are looking to develop broader leadership and management skills.

This is the first planning guide to meet the requirements of Natura 2000 sites and it brings a new dimension to the modern literature on conservation management. Combining key theories with real practice it fills a critical gap which has often hindered understanding of the planning process. The book provides historical and rational background which helps to explain what makes a really effective management plan, and it presents a practical guide to developing such a plan. It concludes with a series of case studies which illustrate the underlying principles drawn out in the text, while highlighting the different approaches demanded by very different sites.

This useful book is designed to teach natural resources professionals how to be more effective in solving conservation and environmental policy problems. Its presentation of basic concepts, case studies, and "real world concerns" provides a deeper understanding of the policy process and makes the book an invaluable aid for students and practitioners in such fields as wildlife biology, conservation biology, forestry, range management, ecosystem management, and sustainable development. Susan G. Clark begins by describing the challenges faced by natural resources professionals. She then explains how the substance and process of policy analysis and decision making can be improved by using a policy sciences framework that takes into account biological, social, political, and institutional considerations. Finally she reflects on how issues of human rights and morality should affect natural resources management and policy analysis. The book is very user-friendly.

There are severe problems with the decision-making processes currently widely used, leading to ineffective use of evidence, faulty decisions, wasting of resources and the erosion of public and political support. In this book an international team of experts provide solutions. The transformation suggested includes rethinking how evidence is assessed, combined, communicated and used in decision-making; using effective methods when asking experts to make judgements (i.e. avoiding just asking an expert or a group of experts!); using a structured process for making decisions that incorporate the evidence and having effective processes for learning from actions. In each case, the specific problem with decision making is described with a range of practical solutions. Adopting this approach to decision-making requires societal change so detailed suggestions are made for transforming organisations, governments, businesses, funders and philanthropists. The practical suggestions include twelve downloadable checklists. The vision of the authors is to transform conservation so it is more effective, more cost-efficient, learns from practice and is more attractive to funders. However, the lessons of this important book go well beyond conservation to decision-makers in any field.

This book provides a practical guide on the art and science of compassionate care in an era of healthcare crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic that is inflicting long-lasting financial and psychosocial trauma on an unprecedented scale. A new approach to compassionate care is presented based on the overarching concepts of empathy, person and family centeredness, therapeutic relationship, kindness, gratitude, spirituality, communication skills, shared decision making, positive psychology, adversity-activated development, self-care, compassion fatigue, spirituality which are more than ever critical in successfully managing the pandemic adversity in front of us. This book draws on clinical experience, educational activities and evidence-based knowledge from academic physicians (primary, secondary and tertiary care), nurses, psychologists, health economists, healthcare managers, health policymakers, medical professionals students and patients. It provides skills and knowledge that can be implemented in daily clinical practice based on all levels of healthcare on a whole-person approach. An array of clinical cases, patient journeys, published evidence and practical experience is combined to deliver in a practical way unique guidance and advice. The target audience is all healthcare professionals, health policymakers, healthcare managers and patient associations. This approach of Compassionate Care is of great importance and can save lives and money in these unprecedented times of global healthcare care system challenges.