Conservation and Human Behavior: The Missing Link in Protecting Biodiversity

A new book argues that the social sciences, including anthropology, economics, human geography, political science, psychology, and sociology, are key to effective conservation. Conservation Social Science: Understanding People, Conserving Biodiversity argues that human behaviour is often overlooked when it comes to developing conservation solutions, which ultimately require changing the way people interact with the environment. Effective conservation requires understanding the consequences for species and ecosystems, as well as people and their livelihoods. Conservationists can navigate key questions that surround establishing a protected area by using a political science lens, such as who has the power to make the rules and whose voices are underrepresented. The answers to these questions have profound implications for both nature and people. The book also calls for impact evaluation, an approach that can help us understand how the design and management of a conservation project affects not only species and ecosystems but also the lives and livelihoods of local people who depend on them.

 

Link to article: https://bit.ly/3nmCS3l

 

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