Solutions for nature and people: bridging the ecological and social dimensions of conservation

by Charlotte Chang, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee

Abstract: Achieving conservation success requires a detailed understanding of the dynamics of species and ecosystems. It also requires integrating people and the social motivations that determine how individuals, communities, and institutions interact with ecological systems when seeking to develop conservation solutions. I will show how this integration can be achieved by focusing on the tropical bushmeat crisis as an example. I will illustrate the ubiquity of terrestrial harvesting threats to species, show how models of decision-making behavior link human agents with ecological outcomes, and provide tools and recommendations to improve conservation practice. Measuring compliance with conservation regulations is critical for evaluating conservation success, but it has been challenging to assess in many regions at the forefront of environmental issues. I will show how to quantify non-compliance and I will describe how incorporating human decision-making behavior can lead to more effective conservation management strategies.

Charlotte Chang (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton Univ.) is a Postdoctoral Fellow at NIMBioS. She is exploring the impact of diverse socio-cultural hunting practices as well as the response of hunting pressure to the spatial and temporal distribution of different harvested goods.