Abstract Type: Independent oral presentation
Abstract TitleEvolving cultures of wildlife conservation and management
Presented in session:
Time: ,
Location:
Abstract
Conservation and wildlife management are about people and our priorities for landscapes and the species present in them. These practices largely reflect the cultures of the people practicing or making decisions about them, which may present conflict among different social groups who hold differing values and priorities for their relationship with nature. Such cultural practices and associated conflict change over time. Applying a cultural evolution theory approach provides a framework for recognising how conservation cultures have changed and considering the social and ecological factors that shape this change. Doing so can reveal underlying values and conflicts between social groups, and potentially inform predictions about what conservation (and its associated conflicts) will look like in future. An international working group was established to explore the evolution of conservation cultures and conflicts, offering an opportunity to consider global trends and the social and ecological factors that may shape unique conservation cultures locally. I explore how conservation cultures have evolved in Australia, reflecting changing Western scientific understanding and social values, and consider unique attributes of the Australian context. I describe how our conservation cultures are reflected in managing agencies and their decision-making tools. Finally, I propose factors that may shape future trajectories for Australian conservation cultures and conflicts, inviting discussion about how conservation research and practitioners may wish to influence conservation cultures’ future evolution.
Related Conference Topic Area
human dimensions of wildlife
Manager Session?
Presenter Information
First Name Lily |
Last Name van Eeden |
Affiliation RMIT University |
Author(s) Information
Author | First Name | Last Name | Affiliation |
1 | Lily | van Eeden | RMIT University |
2 | Richard | Berl | United States Geological Survey |