Beyond crisis and grief: Rethinking conservation narratives

Since 1985, conservation science has been unquestioningly described as a crisis discipline. This narrative entails prioritizing immediate responses to threats despite limited knowledge. Although crisis interventions have grown significantly, biodiversity loss has continued unabated, and those working or living alongside declining ecosystems report increasing levels of emotional distress. Ecological grief is particularly on the rise and is claimed by some as a necessary process to fuel the urgent lifesaving changes. However, I argue that both narratives-the emerging ecological grief and the established crisis approach-can synergically reinforce a loop of resignation, where ecological decline is either passively accepted or inadvertently perpetuated. Such resignation ultimately leads to harmful adaptation to ongoing ecological degradation. Finally, I propose a shift toward a transformative conservation narrative, moving away from the primary focus on crisis thinking to embrace proactive futures. Reframing the underlying narratives is essential, because they can influence the broader conservation agenda.