Integrating and Advancing Social Science in Conservation Practice | online
Organised by the Social Science Working Group
Integrating and Advancing Social Science in Conservation Practice
19 November 2025, 16:00 - 18:00 CET | online
As the series comes to an end, this final webinar will take a step back to reflect on a key question: how can conservation social science move from the margins to the center of conservation practice? We’ll explore the structural and institutional barriers that limit meaningful integration — from training and hiring to collaboration and research design — and highlight opportunities to reimagine conservation careers that are equitable, interdisciplinary, and grounded in local realities.
This discussion connects directly to insights from the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, which calls for systemic shifts in values, institutions, and power relations to achieve sustainability goals. Social sciences are central to understanding and enabling these changes — from revealing hidden dynamics of decision-making to fostering inclusion, participation, and justice in conservation efforts.
Speakers
- Harold Eyster (The Nature Conservancy, USA) – Use of theories of human action in recent conservation research
- Rachel Dacks (University of Hawaiʻi) – Emerging human dimensions research in coastal and nearshore Oceania
- Alia M. Dietsch (Ohio State University, USA) – Conservation and the social sciences revisited
Each talk will explore real-world experiences, methodological reflections, and pathways for integrating social dimensions into conservation practice — emphasizing collaboration across disciplines and communities.
Whether you’re a researcher, practitioner, or policymaker, this webinar offers a space to exchange ideas, share lessons learned, and strengthen the role of social science in transformative conservation efforts.
Photo by Jason Sung on Unsplash: lychee fruits (Litchi chinensis) native to southern China and widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions, lychees are known for their sweet, aromatic flavor and juicy white flesh enclosed within the textured outer rind.