A dynamic view of wildlife value orientations

Abstract: Conflicts over the conservation and management of wildlife present persistent problems for policy-makers and managers alike. Researchers often trace such conflict back to fundamental differences in values held by... [ view full abstract ]

Abstract: Conflicts over the conservation and management of wildlife present persistent problems for policy-makers and managers alike. Researchers often trace such conflict back to fundamental differences in values held by various stakeholder groups. One of the primary research approaches that aim to address such challenges tends to focus on individual group members and characterizations of their values, beliefs, or policy preferences. However, such an approach reduces values to static properties that act as a source of conflict at either the individual or group level.  Our conceptualization of values takes a systems approach-one that views values as existing within a multi-level social structure inclusive of individuals who are nested within myriad groups, organizations, cultures, and societies. The application of systems theory to understanding values provides a means for understanding how values operate and interact at various levels, and helps to address questions such as "how are values formed and how do they change?", "how are they embedded in human cultural systems?", and "how can an understanding of values as a system guide wildlife conservation and management practices?". This talk applies a multi-level, dynamic, and adaptive conception of values that helps to explain how they can be relatively immune to change given stable social-ecological conditions, yet subject to shifting when presented with extreme disruptions in the context of life.