Resilient Biodiversity Conservation: Working with Social-Ecological Connections to Navigate Crises

Area of Science:

• Conservation Science
• Landscape Ecology
• Environmental Psychology

Background:

• Biodiversity conservation requires continuous adaptation to environmental changes.
• Effective conservation relies on interconnectedness across land uses, human-nature relationships, and governance levels.
• Limited mandates often restrict conservation practitioners' access to necessary resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how strengthening connections can enhance conservation recovery.
• To identify key aspects of conservation impacted by disruptions.
• To outline a research agenda for adaptive conservation in changing landscapes.

Main Methods:

• Focus on disruptions within conservation efforts.
• Analysis of landscape cohesion, societal support, and collaborative networks.
• Integration of insights from spatial ecology, environmental psychology, and crisis preparedness.

Main Results:

• Connections are crucial for landscape dynamics and conservation practitioner effectiveness.
• Building landscape cohesion, societal support, and adaptive collaborations aids recovery.
• Temporal shifts in connections are vital for conservation in dynamic environments.

Conclusions:

• Adaptive conservation requires actively building and strengthening interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral connections.
• Understanding temporal dynamics of connections is key to situating conservation in complex, changing landscapes.
• A research agenda focused on connections can improve conservation resilience against disruptions.