Open AccessIntegrating Social and Ecological Knowledge for Targeting Voluntary Biodiversity Conservation
Author(s) -
Paloniemi Riikka,
Hujala Teppo,
Rantala Salla,
Harlio Annika,
Salomaa Anna,
Primmer Eeva,
Pynnönen Sari,
Arponen Anni
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
conservation letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.153
H-Index - 79
ISSN - 1755-263X
DOI - 10.1111/conl.12340
Subject(s) - stakeholder , prioritization , business , environmental resource management , environmental planning , biodiversity , biodiversity conservation , process (computing) , ecosystem services , legitimacy , geography , ecology , ecosystem , process management , political science , public relations , computer science , economics , politics , law , biology , operating system
Improving the effectiveness of voluntary biodiversity policies requires developing trans‐disciplinary conservation plans that consider social constraints to achieving ecological objectives. We integrated data on landowners’ willingness to participate in voluntary conservation efforts with ecological data on conservation values in a spatial prioritization, and found that doing so considerably reduced the loss in conservation value caused by landowners’ reluctance to participate. We learned that conducting prioritization with stakeholder input gained through dialogue during field visits could be beneficial for increasing the legitimacy of conservation plans with stakeholders. Thus, in addition to developing a methodology for using data on stakeholder perceptions of conservation in spatial prioritization, our study suggests that engaging landowners and other stakeholders in the conservation prioritization process will improve the success of conservation plans.