Gap analysis of social science resources for conservation practice
Conservation is an inherently social process-people collectively endeavor to enact conservation. Yet, in conservation social science, research methodologies, training, and competency are less common than in natural sciences. Globally, formal education and training in the social sciences are often unavailable or inaccessible to conservation practitioners, and nonformal education may help fill this gap. To identify potential opportunities, we implemented a global survey of practitioners to identify their knowledge gaps and social science training needs and conducted a gap analysis of available social science training resources. We compiled 449 resources, including 266 English-language and 183 non-English-languages resources into an open-access online database hosted by the Conservation Social Science Partnership. Resources were categorized as communication, data collection, ethics and human rights, intervention, impact evaluation, or analysis. Most resources were open access (90%) and half were specific to conservation practice. Survey responses (n = 90) revealed demand for help with data analyses, research ethics, and human rights considerations. We found a need for organization leaders to prioritize social sciences in conservation, greater diversity of accessible training resources in alternate mediums and languages, resources tailored to conservation contexts, and additional ethics and human rights and data analysis resources.
Authors
- Harold N. Eyster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5571-3126)
- Nathan Bennett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4852-3401)
- Emiel de Lange (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5853-3657)
- Charlotte Spira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6296-1075)
- Mariana Labão Catapani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4784-6631)
- Harriet Ibbett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1213-4834)
- Kenneth Wallen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7535-5805)
- Krossy Mavakala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8000-8148)
- Nicole DeMello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7373-0325)
- Heidi E. Kretser
- Trisha Gupta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2329-6540)
- Stephanie Brittain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7865-0391)
- Diane Detoeuf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6371-4580)
- E.J. Milner‐Gulland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0324-2710)
- Brandie Fariss (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9507-8999)
- Constanza Monterrubio-Solís (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0306-2309)
- Sara A. Thornton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4497-7625)
- Helen Newing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4710-1824)
- Li Ling Choo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2640-7553)
Institutions
- The Nature Conservancy (US)
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (CA)
- Wildlife Conservation Society (US)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of Idaho (US)
- Bangor University (GB)
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES)
- Cornell University (US)
- Chester Zoo (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- World Wildlife Fund (US)
- Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (US)
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (CH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Conservation Biology
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14463
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 11.03
Funders
- Nature Conservancy