The effectiveness of wildlife projects can increase if project leaders understand why different management approaches are needed in conservation campaigns.
In a new research paper published in Conservation Biology, authors Dr Simon Black of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), part of the University’s School of Anthropology and Conservation, and Jamieson Copsey from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, respond to the difficulties of managing multidisciplinary teams in the conservation sector.
They emphasise that a different management approach is required in conservation teams. This includes increased effort to focus people on a common purpose, agreeing clear team processes (including work, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, planning and improvement), a more considered use of available knowledge, and an acknowledgement of the importance of human dignity in interactions with colleagues, local communities and the public.
They also believe that greater attention paid to the full continuum of knowledge from the unknown, through best guesses and reasonable assumptions up to concrete facts, will enable better decision-making and problem-solving.
A new MSc in Conservation Project Management, which addresses conservation leadership, is now available at the University. A Postgraduate Diploma in Endangered Species Recovery, in partnership with Durrell in Mauritius, is also offered.
A copy of the research paper can be found here.
For more information contact Dr Simon Black.