title: Why social values cannot be changed for the sake of conservation.
abstract: The hope for creating widespread change in social values has endured among conservation professionals since early calls by Aldo Leopold for a "land ethic." However, there has been little serious attention in conservation to the fields of investigation that address values, how they are formed, and how they change. We introduce a social-ecological systems conceptual approach in which values are seen not only as motivational goals people hold but also as ideas that are deeply embedded in society's material culture, collective behaviors, traditions, and institutions. Values define and bind groups, organizations, and societies; serve an adaptive role; and are typically stable across generations. When abrupt value changes occur, they are in response to substantial alterations in the social-ecological context. Such changes build on prior value structures and do not result in complete replacement. Given this understanding of values, we conclude that deliberate efforts to orchestrate value shifts for conservation are unlikely to be effective. Instead, there is an urgent need for research on values with a multilevel and dynamic view that can inform innovative conservation strategies for working within existing value structures. New directions facilitated by a systems approach will enhance understanding of the role values play in shaping conservation challenges and improve management of the human component of conservation.
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: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Manfredo
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, 210 Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH, 43210, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Jeremy T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Bruskotter
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: U.S. Geological Survey, Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Avenue, 200 Hodson Hall, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, U.S.A.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel.
authors.forename: Shalom H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arlinghaus
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, 102 Gilmer Hall, P.O. Box 400400, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NP, U.K.
authors.forename: Ayse K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Uskul
authors.affiliation: Archipelago Consulting, P.O. Box 4750, Portland, ME, 04112, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Kent
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Redford
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 1004 East Hall, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitayama
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: Leeann
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D012931:Social Environment; D012945:Social Values
keywords: adaptación cultural; análisis multi-nivel; cambio de valores; cultural adaptation; estabilidad social; multilevel analysis; sistemas soco-ecológicos; social stability; social-ecological systems; value shift