title: Mainstreaming the social sciences in conservation.
abstract: Despite broad recognition of the value of social sciences and increasingly vocal calls for better engagement with the human element of conservation, the conservation social sciences remain misunderstood and underutilized in practice. The conservation social sciences can provide unique and important contributions to society's understanding of the relationships between humans and nature and to improving conservation practice and outcomes. There are 4 barriers-ideological, institutional, knowledge, and capacity-to meaningful integration of the social sciences into conservation. We provide practical guidance on overcoming these barriers to mainstream the social sciences in conservation science, practice, and policy. Broadly, we recommend fostering knowledge on the scope and contributions of the social sciences to conservation, including social scientists from the inception of interdisciplinary research projects, incorporating social science research and insights during all stages of conservation planning and implementation, building social science capacity at all scales in conservation organizations and agencies, and promoting engagement with the social sciences in and through global conservation policy-influencing organizations. Conservation social scientists, too, need to be willing to engage with natural science knowledge and to communicate insights and recommendations clearly. We urge the conservation community to move beyond superficial engagement with the conservation social sciences. A more inclusive and integrative conservation science-one that includes the natural and social sciences-will enable more ecologically effective and socially just conservation. Better collaboration among social scientists, natural scientists, practitioners, and policy makers will facilitate a renewed and more robust conservation. Mainstreaming the conservation social sciences will facilitate the uptake of the full range of insights and contributions from these fields into conservation policy and practice.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.|School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Box 355685, Seattle, WA, 98195-5685, U.S.A.|Global Economics and Social Science Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, 1630 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C., 20009, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Nathan J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E., Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Klain
authors.affiliation: Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Kai M A
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Room 323, Kirk Hall, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5C8, Canada.
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY, 10024, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cullman
authors.affiliation: Environmental Change and Governance Group, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Michael Paul
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, 111 Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853-3001, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stedman
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, 1480 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1480, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Tara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Teel
authors.affiliation: Department of Parks and Recreation, Slippery Rock University, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA, 16057, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Rebecca E W
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Luc Hoffmann Institute, WWF International, Avenue du Mont-Blanc 1196, Gland, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wyborn
authors.affiliation: Environmental Law Centre and Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 1700, STN CSC, Victoria, B C, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.affiliation: Global Economics and Social Science Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, 1630 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C., 20009, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of History, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Arts & Administration Building, General Office: Room A4019, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandlos
authors.affiliation: Rare, 310 North Courthouse Road, Suite 110, Arlington, VA, 22201, U.S.A.|Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3992, Atlanta, GA, 30302-3992, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Diogo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Veríssimo
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D006801:Humans; D012942:Social Sciences
keywords: biología de la conservación; ciencia de la conservación; ciencia social ambiental; ciencia social de la conservación; conservation biology; conservation planning; conservation science; conservation social science; dimensiones humanas; environmental social science; human dimensions; manejo de recursos naturales; natural resource management; planificación de la conservación; sistemas socio-ecológicos; social-ecological systems