Foundational principles of an applied cultural evolutionary science for natural resource management and conservation

Culture, as the filter through which people view the world and a key determinant of human behaviour, is central to the practice of natural resource management and conservation. Conservation is intended to moderate the impacts of human cultural modification of the environment, exists as an endeavour because it is culturally valued, and acts largely through policies to encourage or discourage targeted human behaviours. However, culture is not static; as organisms and ecologies evolve, so too does culture exist as a dynamic, interconnected, coevolving element of the social-ecological systems in which management action is situated and implemented. Cultural evolution (CE) offers a valuable theoretical contribution to the scientific understanding of culture, cultural diversity and culture change and has the potential to be harnessed in the applied research and practice of conservation social science. We illustrate the essential principles necessary to grow an applied science of CE for natural resource management and conservation, and identify opportunities for CE to provide valuable information for science-based decision making and help conservation institutions and organizations adapt to the ongoing challenges posed by culture change. This transdisciplinary integration can contribute to improved outcomes across conservation objectives and build more resilient, sustainable social-ecological systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Transforming cultural evolution research and its application to global futures'.

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Publication Details

Journal
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Published
2025-12-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0262
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Language and cultural evolution
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
32.98

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article

Foundational principles of an applied cultural evolutionary science for natural resource management and conservation

Kirsten M. Leong, Jonathan Salerno, Adam C. Landon, Bas Verschuuren et al.
2 citations
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Language and cultural evolution
32.98
article

Foundational principles of an applied cultural evolutionary science for natural resource management and conservation

Kirsten M. Leong, Jonathan Salerno, Adam C. Landon, Bas Verschuuren, Álvaro Fernández‐Llamazares, Erle C. Ellis, Jonathan W. Long, G. Scott Boomer, Lincoln R. Larson, Michael C. Gavin, Lisa Lehnen, Lily M. van Eeden, Jonathan Fisk, Ugo Arbieu, Christopher K. Williams, Richard E. W. Berl
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Culture, as the filter through which people view the world and a key determinant of human behaviour, is central to the practice of natural resource management and conservation. Conservation is intended to moderate the impacts of human cultural modification of the environment, exists as an endeavour because it is culturally valued, and acts largely through policies to encourage or discourage targeted human behaviours. However, culture is not static; as organisms and ecologies evolve, so too does culture exist as a dynamic, interconnected, coevolving element of the social-ecological systems in which management action is situated and implemented. Cultural evolution (CE) offers a valuable theoretical contribution to the scientific understanding of culture, cultural diversity and culture change and has the potential to be harnessed in the applied research and practice of conservation social science. We illustrate the essential principles necessary to grow an applied science of CE for natural resource management and conservation, and identify opportunities for CE to provide valuable information for science-based decision making and help conservation institutions and organizations adapt to the ongoing challenges posed by culture change. This transdisciplinary integration can contribute to improved outcomes across conservation objectives and build more resilient, sustainable social-ecological systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Transforming cultural evolution research and its application to global futures'.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological SciencesVol. 380(1940)
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (US), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), United States Geological Survey (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), US Forest Service (US), Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (AU), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (US), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (US), North Carolina State University (US), University of Kaiserslautern (DE), AgroParisTech (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), MIT University (MK), Twin Cities Orthopedics (US), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Senckenberg am Meer (DE), University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US), University of Delaware (US), Wageningen University & Research (NL), Colorado State University (US)
U.S. Department of Energy, John Templeton Foundation, Colorado State University, U.S. Geological Survey
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Language and cultural evolution
32.98
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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