If you missed it, here is a link to a recording of my recent talk for the Smithsonian Institution’s Working Land and Seascapes Initiative titled “Conservation Social Science: Understanding and Integrating Human Dimensions into Biodiversity Conservation”.
Event Overview: Greater engagement with the human dimensions of conservation can provide insights that will make meaningful improvements to conservation practice. The term “human dimensions” refers broadly to the set of social, economic, cultural, political, and institutional considerations related to a problem. The social sciences are one means through which we can seek to understand the human dimensions of conservation and make evidence-based decisions that support both humans and nature. This webinar will explore the disciplines, methods, theories, and contributions of the conservation social sciences and demonstrate how these tools can be applied to improve conservation policies and practice.
Speaker bio: Dr. Nathan J. Bennett is a researcher, a teacher, a facilitator and an independent consultant who works for various international organizations. He has published more than 60 academic papers and book chapters on the human dimensions of marine and terrestrial conservation, small-scale fisheries, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, and governance of the blue economy. His work is global in scope – with past research projects in Canada, Mexico, Thailand, and around the Mediterranean Sea. He is also the Chair of the People and the Ocean Specialist Group for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
WLS Overview: Working Land and Seascapes (WLS), an Action Area of the Conservation Commons, is an initiative that support Smithsonian science in the service of humans and nature. WLS scientists collaborate with partners and communities across 13 countries to conduct interdisciplinary research and inspire action that fosters healthy, resilient, and productive landscapes and seascapes.
Nathan J. Bennett 