Putting People on the Map through an Approach That Integrates Social Data in Conservation Planning

• Published in: Conservation biology 2014-10, Vol.28 (5), p.1236-1248
• Main Authors: STEPHANSON, SHERI L, MASCIA, MICHAEL B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: bienestar social; Biodiversity; Biodiversity conservation; complement; conservación por eco-región; Conservation biology; Conservation movement; Conservation of Natural Resources - methods; conservation planning; Conservation practices; decision making; economics; ecoregion conservation; education; Environmental conservation; Essays; fortalecimiento político; Habitat conservation; humans; indicadores sociales; Natural resources conservation; planeación de la conservación; planning; Planning Techniques; political empowerment; politics; Protected areas; scientists; social indicators; Social Media; Social research; social well-being; Wellbeing; Wildlife conservation
• ISSN: 0888-8892; 1523-1739
• DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12357

Conservation planning is integral to strategic and effective operations of conservation organizations. Drawing upon biological sciences, conservation planning has historically made limited use of social data. We offer an approach for integrating data on social well‐being into conservation planning that captures and places into context the spatial patterns and trends in human needs and capacities. This hierarchical approach provides a nested framework for characterizing and mapping data on social well‐being in 5 domains: economic well‐being, health, political empowerment, education, and culture. These 5 domains each have multiple attributes; each attribute may be characterized by one or more indicators. Through existing or novel data that display spatial and temporal heterogeneity in social well‐being, conservation scientists, planners, and decision makers may measure, benchmark, map, and integrate these data within conservation planning processes. Selecting indicators and integrating these data into conservation planning is an iterative, participatory process tailored to the local context and planning goals. Social well‐being data complement biophysical and threat‐oriented social data within conservation planning processes to inform decisions regarding where and how to conserve biodiversity, provide a structure for exploring socioecological relationships, and to foster adaptive management. Building upon existing conservation planning methods and insights from multiple disciplines, this approach to putting people on the map can readily merge with current planning practices to facilitate more rigorous decision making. Poner a la Gente en el Mapa por Medio de una Estrategia que Integra Información Social en la Planeación de la Conservación