Conservation social science: understanding and integrating human dimensions to improve conservation

Sandlos, John and Bennett, Nathan J. and Roth, Robin and Klain, Sarah C. and Chan, Kai M. A. and Christie, Patrick and Clark, Douglas A. and Cullman, Georgina and Curran, Deborah and Durbin, Trevor J. and Epstein, Graham and Greenberg, Alison and Nelson, Michael Paul and Stedman, Richard and Teel, Tara L. and Thomas, Rebecca E. W. and Veríssimo, Diogo and Wyborn, Carina (2017) Conservation social science: understanding and integrating human dimensions to improve conservation. Biological Conservation, 205. pp. 93-108. ISSN 0006-3207

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Abstract

It has long been claimed that a better understanding of human or social dimensions of environmental issues will improve conservation. The social sciences are one important means through which researchers and practitioners can attain that better understanding. Yet, a lack of awareness of the scope and uncertainty about the purpose of the conservation social sciences impedes the conservation community's effective engagement with the human dimensions. This paper examines the scope and purpose of eighteen subfields of classic, interdisciplinary and applied conservation social sciences and articulates ten distinct contributions that the social sciences can make to understanding and improving conservation. In brief, the conservation social sciences can be valuable to conservation for descriptive, diagnostic, disruptive, reflexive, generative, innovative, or instrumental reasons. This review and supporting materials provides a succinct yet comprehensive reference for conservation scientists and practitioners. We contend that the social sciences can help facilitate conservation policies, actions and outcomes that are more legitimate, salient, robust and effective.

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