The study highlights that conservation is not just about ecological science; it is heavily influenced by the values, beliefs, and demographics of various groups managing and/or benefitting from conservation. To effectively address conservation challenges, conservation agencies and those interested or affected must understand, respect, and navigate differences in conservation values, adapt to societal/ideological shifts, and be transparent about their values in the decision-making processes.

By Izak P.J. Smit, Chris Sandbrook, Liandi Slabbert, Corli Coetsee, Louise Swemmer, M. Kyle S. Smith, Stef Freitag-Ronaldson, Nelsiwe Mpapane, Dirk J. Roux, Danny Govender, Mohlamatsane Mokhatla, and Aidan Keane.

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In conservation, the focus is often on science and biological knowledge, but we don’t always consider the different values that guide people’s actions. This can create misunderstandings and conflicts. In this study we developed a tool to better understand the values different groups hold towards conservation. We do this by comparing the views of conservation staff, national park visitors, and other conservation professionals to see where they agree and disagree on a range of conservation issues.

To do this, we created a survey with 55 statements about the challenges and trade-offs protected areas in South Africa face. The survey asked people to indicate to what degree they agreed or disagreed with these statements. After analysing the responses, we found four main dimensions that capture variation in values that shape people’s views on conservation: (1) a strong focus on the effects of conservation on people, especially local communities; (2) prioritizing the economy; (3) protecting nature for its own sake; and (4) welfare of individual animals. These values are important when making decisions about how to manage protected areas.

We also found that people’s roles (for example, whether they were conservationists or visitors), as well as their gender, age, and location (whether they were from South Africa or abroad), influenced their views. While most groups agreed on the importance of protecting nature for its own inherent value, there were differences in opinions between groups on issues like the importance of communities in conservation and individual animal welfare. These differences highlight the importance of being aware of varying perspectives.

Our findings suggest that conservation agencies need to recognize and respect the different values that shape perspectives. By doing this, they can improve communication, increase understanding and hopefully reduce conflict. This might also help them to make decisions that are in line with ecological science, yet aware of and sensitive towards the values of different groups. This approach can assist conservation agencies to be more aware of, and where possible, responsive to changing societal views.