The roles of people in conservation

The study of human beings in conservation is often eclipsed by the study of threatened species and their environments. This is surprising given that conservation activities are human activities, and that the very need for conservation arises out of human actions. In this chapter, we begin with the premise that understanding human activities and human roles in conservation is fundamental to effective conservation. Specifically, we address the following: · Conservation history: how has conservation changed since its inception? · Common conservation perceptions: how do conservationists characterize the relationship between human beings and the environment, and how have these perceptions influenced the trajectory of conservation? · Organizational institutions: What factors mediate the relationship between human beings and their environments? What implications do these have for conservation? · Biodiversity conservation and local resource use: in what ways do we conserve our environments? · Equity, rights, and resources: how do we understand conservation-induced change? · Social research in conservation: how do social science and humanities studies inform conservation practice?