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Conservation is an inherently social process-people collectively endeavor to enact conservation. Yet, in conservation social science, research methodologies, training, and competency are less common than in natural sciences. Globally, formal education and training in the social sciences are often unavailable or inaccessible to conservation practitioners, and nonformal education may help fill this gap. To identify potential opportunities, we implemented a global survey of practitioners to identify their knowledge gaps and social science training needs and conducted a gap analysis of available social science training resources. We compiled 449 resources, including 266 English-language and 183 non-English-languages resources into an open-access online database hosted by the Conservation Social Science Partnership. Resources were categorized as communication, data collection, ethics and human rights, intervention, impact evaluation, or analysis. Most resources were open access (90%) and half were specific to conservation practice. Survey responses (n = 90) revealed demand for help with data analyses, research ethics, and human rights considerations. We found a need for organization leaders to prioritize social sciences in conservation, greater diversity of accessible training resources in alternate mediums and languages, resources tailored to conservation contexts, and additional ethics and human rights and data analysis resources.

Original publication

DOI

10.1111/cobi.14463

Type

Journal article

Journal

Conserv Biol

Publication Date

04/2025

Volume

39

Keywords

capacity building, conservation policy, desarrollo de capacidades, evaluación de necesidades, investigación cualitativa, investigación cuantitativa, métodos de ciencias sociales, needs assessment, política de conservación, qualitative research, quantitative research, social science methods, Conservation of Natural Resources, Social Sciences, Humans