Identifying and developing effective post-2020 conservation bridging leaders

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Environmental Leadership
• Social Network Analysis

Background:

• Community-based conservation (CBC) aims for ecological and social goals by engaging local communities.
• Achieving unprecedented collaboration in CBC is challenging due to diverse stakeholders.
• Weak leadership often hinders CBC intervention success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and appraise characteristics of effective bridging leaders in conservation.
• To understand the role of leadership in facilitating collaboration within multistakeholder conservation contexts.
• To address the knowledge gap regarding emotional intelligence in conservation leadership.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to develop a framework for bridging leadership.
• Case study appraisal in two African coastal-marine community-based conservation projects.
• Utilized social network analysis and semistructured/group interviews.

Main Results:

• Identified local leaders as potential bridging leaders.
• Effective bridging leaders require legal recognition and perceived legitimacy through trust-building.
• Inclusive collaboration necessitates emotionally intelligent leaders with integrity, empathy, and cultural awareness.

Conclusions:

• Bridging leadership is crucial for successful community-based conservation, especially for fostering unprecedented collaboration.
• Emotional intelligence, trust, and legitimacy are vital components of effective bridging leadership in conservation.
• Findings offer insights for diverse conservation actors and highlight a need for further research on emotional intelligence in leadership.