Reframing the Theory of Hope in Conservation Science

Hope springs eternal, so they say. It is a fundamental part of being human. It is something that we experience regularly. We hope that it does not rain on our walk to work, that in leaving the office late we won’t miss our train, that our favorite sporting team will win it’s upcoming game. It’s an almost daily phenomenon, but something to which most of us give little thought. Despite this oversight, it defines how we live, play and work. Hope can be defined as the belief that our goals can be secured through our own actions, or alternatively, that chance, luck or some universal influence bigger than ourselves will steer us toward something we desire. When considered as this dichotomy of definition, as presented in various dictionaries, the fundamental difference between these two definitions of hope becomes critically important. The first defines an individual’s belief that, despite facing challenges, he or she has a sufficient locus of control to achieve a favorable outcome (self-empowered hope). The second presents as a belief that a goal will only be attainable with input from a force or entity beyond ourselves (fortuitous hope). The definition of hope a person chooses to adopt can define the likelihood he or she will attain their individual goals. Implementing effective conservation research—science translated into action—begins with an individual reflecting on his or her own values and making a decision to act towards positively changing their own behavior, and/or facilitating others to do the same. As such, self-empowered hope provides the basis for effective conservation, as it is the source of an individual’s drive to achieve constructive conservation outcomes, and so it lays the foundation for robust science or evidence-based practice. Self-empowered hope also provides the basis for the common vision and sense-of-belonging that binds individuals together into the effective collaborations required to mobilize collective action toward a mutual goal. Selfempowered hope makes us individually and collectively more effective implementers because it reaffirms our ability to chart a course, and arrive at a point, where we are ensuring the persistence of Nature. The definition of hope we choose—the self-empowered or the fortuitous,