Conservation Social Science

Conducting Research in Conservation is the first textbook on social science research methods written specifically for use in the expanding and increasingly multidisciplinary field of environmental conservation. The first section on planning a research project includes chapters on the need for social science research in conservation, defining a research topic, methodology, and sampling. Section two focuses on practical issues in carrying out fieldwork with local communities, from fieldwork preparation and data collection to the relationships between the researcher and the study community. Section three provides an in-depth focus on a range of social science methods including standard qualitative and quantitative methods such as participant observation, interviewing and questionnaires, and more advanced methods, such as ethnobiological methods for documenting local environmental knowledge and change, and participatory methods such as the ‘PRA’ toolbox. Section four then demonstrates how to analyze social science data qualitatively and quantitatively; and the final section outlines the writing-up process and what should happen after the end of the formal research project. This book is a comprehensive and accessible guide to social science research methods for students of conservation related subjects and practitioners trained in the natural sciences. It features practical worldwide examples of conservation-related research in different ecosystems such as forests; grasslands; marine and riverine systems; and farmland. Boxes provide definitions of key terms, practical tips, and brief narratives from students and practitioners describe the practical issues that they have faced in the field.

Groundbreaking book that examines the essential contribution of the social sciences to understanding and conserving biodiversity across the globe Authored by leading scholars at the nexus of social science and biodiversity conservation, Conservation Social Science addresses the growing realization that biodiversity conservation is, at heart, a social phenomenon. Threats to biological diversity are influenced by a wide range of political, economic and cultural factors. The conservation of biodiversity is conceived and carried out by people. Biodiversity conservation is a manifestation of human beliefs and values. Choices about which species and habitats to conserve, how to prioritize efforts, and how to conserve them are inherently social − with consequences not just for wildlife but also human lives and livelihoods. Key topics covered in this thought-provoking text include: An introduction to key social science disciplines and how each field specifically relates to biodiversity conservation How to make social sciences an integral part of conservation strategies and initiatives How social science theories and analytic approaches can explain and help predict patterns of human behavior How biodiversity conservation as a ubiquitous societal phenomenon can provide insights into human society in general Conservation Social Science is an essential, one-of-a-kind survey of novel approaches to explaining and fostering more effective, just, and enduring conservation of biodiversity. It is academically rigorous and comprehensive in scope, yet sufficiently nontechnical and concise to be accessible to a global audience of students, faculty, and environmental professionals and policymakers.

"This book explores human-nature connectedness through deep ecological philosophy and conservation social science. Emphasizing ecologically-inclusive identities, it argues that connection to nature is more important than many environmental advocates realize and that deep ecology contributes much to the increasingly pressing conversations about it"--

Social-ecological challenges call for a far better integration of the social sciences into conservation training and practice. Environmental problems are, first and foremost, people problems. Without better understandings of the people involved, solutions are often hard to come by, regardless of expertise in biology, ecology, or other traditional conservation sciences. This novel book provides an accessible survey of a broad range of theories widely applicable to environmental problems that students and practitioners can apply to their work. It serves as a simple reference guide to illuminate the value and utility of social science theories for the practice of environmental conservation. As part of the Techniques in Ecology and Conservation Series, it will be a vital resource for conservation scientists, students, and practitioners to better navigate the social complexities of applying their work to real-world problem-solving.

Who Cares About Wildlife? integrates social science theory in order to provide a conceptual structure for understanding and studying human interaction with wildlife. A thorough review of the current literature in conceptual areas, including norms, values, attitudes, emotions, wildlife value orientations, cultural change, and evolutionary forces/inherited tendencies is provided, and the importance of these areas in studying human-wildlife relationships is highlighted. No other book both considers the human relationship with wildlife and provides a theoretical framework for understanding this relationship on the individual, as well as cultural level. Who Cares About Wildlife? will be valuable both to students and to practitioners in wildlife management and conservation, as well those interested in the human relationship with wildlife, natural resources, and the environment.

This book aims to synthesize the state of the art on biodiversity knowledge exchange practices to understand where and how improvements can be made to close the knowledge-implementation gap in conservation science and advance this interdisciplinary topic. Bringing together the most prominent scholars and practitioners in the field, the book looks into the various sources used to produce biodiversity knowledge - from natural and social sciences to Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Citizen Science - as well as knowledge mobilization approaches to highlight the key ingredients that render successful conservation action at a global scale. By doing so, the book identified major current challenges and opportunities in the field, for different sectors that generate, mobilize, and use biodiversity knowledge (like academia, boundary organizations, practitioners, and policy-makers), to further develop cross-sectorial knowledge mobilization strategies and enhance evidence-informed decision-making processes globally.

Ethnozoology: Animals In Our Lives represents the first book about this discipline, providing a discussion on key themes on human-animal interactions and their implications, along with recent major advances in research. Humans share the world with a bewildering variety of other animals, and have interacted with them in different ways. This variety of interactions (both past and present) is investigated through ethnozoology, which is a hybrid discipline structured with elements from both the natural and social sciences, as it seeks to understand how humans have perceived and interacted with faunal resources throughout history. In a broader context, ethnozoology, and its companion discipline, ethnobotany, form part of the larger body of the science of ethnobiology. In recent years, the importance of ethnozoological/ethnobiological studies has increasingly been recognized, unsurprisingly given the strong human influence on biodiversity. From the perspective of ethnozoology, the book addresses all aspects of human connection, animals and health, from its use in traditional medicine, to bioprospecting derivatives of fauna for pharmaceuticals, with expert contributions from leading researchers in the field. Draws on editors’ and contributors’ extensive research, experience and studies covering ethnozoology and ethnobiology Covers all aspects of human-animal interaction through the lens of this emerging discipline, with coverage of both domestic and wild animal topics Presents topics of great interest to a variety of researchers including those in wildlife/conservation (biologists, ecologists, conservationists) and domestic-related disciplines (psychologists, sociologists)

This book provides keys to decrypt current political debates on the environment in light of the theories that support them, and provides tools to better understand and manage environmental conflicts and promote environmentally friendly behaviour. As we work towards global sustainability at a time when efforts to conserve biodiversity and combat climate change correspond with land grabs by large corporations, food insecurity, and human displacement. While we seek to reconcile more-than-human relations and responsibilities in the Anthropocene, we also struggle to accommodate social justice and the increasingly global desire for economic development. These and other challenges fundamentally alter the way social scientists relate to communities and the environment. This book takes as its point of departure today’s pressing environmental challenges, particularly the loss of biodiversity, and the role of communities in protected areas conservation. In its chapters, the authors discuss areas of tension between local livelihoods and international conservation efforts, between local communities and wildlife, and finally between traditional ways of living and ‘modernity’. The central premise of this book is while these tensions cannot be easily resolved they can be better understood by considering both social and ecological effects, in equal measure. While environmental problems cannot be seen as purely ecological because they always involve people, who bring to the environmental table their different assumptions about nature and culture, so are social problems connected to environmental constraints. While nonhumans cannot verbally bring anything to this negotiating table, aside from vast material benefits that society relies on, the distinct perspective of this book is that there is a need to consider the role of nonhumans as equally important stakeholders – albeit without a voice. This book develops an argument that human-environmental relationships are set within ecological reality and ecological ethics and rather than being mutually constitutive processes, humans have obligate dependence on nature, not vice versa. This would enable an ethical position encompassing the needs of other species and giving simultaneous (without one being subordinated to another) consideration to justice for humans and non-humans alike. The book is accessible to both social scientists and conservation specialists, and intends to contribute to strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations in the field of conservation.