Conservation Needs Diverse Values, Approaches, and Practitioners

Nearly 70 years after North American conservationist Aldo Leopold reflected on his own struggle with the relationship between humans and wildlife in “A Sand County Almanac,” conservation scientists are still wrestling with the extent to which their research aims to protect and restore ecosystems for “nature's sake” (i.e., intrinsic value), or for “humanity's sake” (i.e., extrinsic value). Recently, the tone of voices in this important and long-standing discussion has changed, swelling to a crescendo of cacophonous debate about what constitutes the “right” set of motivations for and visions of conservation success, fueling disagreement over the effectiveness of approaches that are not designed to achieve the same goals.1 Here, we aim to subvert this debate and use the attention it has garnered to highlight what we see as a key challenge facing the future of conservation: creating a community that is strengthened, rather than factionalized, by pluralistic viewpoints. A growing body of ecological research shows that diverse assemblages of species can result in ecosystems that function more efficiently, produce more resources, and exhibit more stable dynamics over time. Similarly, financial analysts have long realized that a diverse investment portfolio reduces risks and increases monetary yields over time. The coupled human-natural ecosystems where conservation scientists seek to effect change are similarly heterogeneous, dynamic, and complex. It follows that positive change (i.e., conservation success) is defined by individuals and groups from diverse belief systems, social structures, and backgrounds who hold equally diverse values for biodiversity. Yet, by valuing only a subset of alternative perspectives, voices engaged in narrowly defining the “correct” motives, and therefore approaches, to conserve are arguing for a more homogenous conservation community itself. Similar to a financial portfolio comprising only a few stocks or a biological community lacking functional diversity, it is unlikely that conservation scientists and practitioners working to protect a subset of values would generate solutions that are relevant across the social and ecological contexts in which they must be implemented. Our thesis is that relaxing the boundaries of our discipline to engage the viewpoints of all who have a stake in the ways in which biodiversity persists and functions on our planet will generate more robust conservation solutions. Our message is not scale-less; we expect that individuals and organizations will likely continue to aggregate around common values, visions, and techniques. However, we see a need to increase the opportunities for engagement with, and inclusion of, individuals with perspectives and skills considered nonconventional in the traditional conservation landscape. The David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship, housed at the Society for Conservation Biology, supports early-career scientists who are committed to tackling conservation problems. Even within our small group—which is based in the United States and represents a tiny subset of ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic experiences of the world—research topics range from protecting species in remote wilderness to achieving sustainability and restoration in urban landscapes. Moreover, each of our approaches is shaped by values that range along a spectrum from purely intrinsic to extrinsic, and often reflect complex interactions between these two domains (Box 1). So, while we all share the same overarching goal of restoring and sustaining ecosystems, we cannot agree upon a narrow set of motivations for and approaches to conservation, because our own work addresses issues that occur in different physical landscapes and cultural contexts, and draws on a range of techniques, partners, and perspectives (Box 1). However, we have benefited from the pluralism of our perspectives and our interactions inspire us to think more broadly about potential partners and solutions to the conservation issues we work on individually and collectively. For example, working together, Smith Fellows have influenced state, national, and international policy on issues like microplastic pollution and hydraulic fracturing by briefing decision makers on science-based policy options, created opportunities for conservation scientists to share their work with public audiences through social media and storytelling, and developed Web-based tools to provide options for responsible consumerism for industries like the pet trade. Forming relationships with public groups, government, media and for-profit industry has required skill sets (storytelling, media relations, business planning, facilitation, and policy briefing, to name a few) that were beyond the scope of our individual experience, but made possible through our collective networks as a group. If this is the case within our small, relatively homogenous group of scientists, we can only imagine the benefits that may come from encouraging interaction among an increasingly diverse, pluralistic conservation community at large. We see attempts to narrow the definition of our discipline as diverting valuable time and energy away from making progress toward conserving species, including our own. Moreover, it serves to exclude individuals and organizations that could make valuable contributions to conservation. Now, more than ever, we need to refocus our energy on welcoming those who may not currently envision themselves as part of the conservation community, but who can contribute to it. We therefore challenge all conservation scientists to shift the debate away from defining our identity, and toward the question: How can we build a more inclusive, diverse conservation community? We offer the following suggestions, based on our own experiences in conservation science and the Smith Fellowship Program, in hopes of stimulating conversation and action: As conservation scientists, each of our individual voices is unique, as are the voices of the myriad sectors of society with which we must work to define and solve conservation challenges. By taking these actions, we seek to embrace this diversity so that our individual voices complement one another and increase our collective impact.