Train the Next Biodiversity Generation

Conservation Education and Professional Development

We seek to understand the best ways to communicate conservation knowledge, reduce barriers to nature-based education, and create a more educated, inspired, and empowered young populace able to engage in conservation action in their communities.  For example, we study how different generations learn about conservation and the role of technology in conservation stewardship. This includes how the integration of innovative technology, such as virtual tourism, can contribute to greater dissemination of conservation messaging and education. We also work with existing organizations to test the impact of skills-based conservation science education on young people’s conservation mindset. We created a novel conservation education program in collaboration with the Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology, called GirlsConserve. This program works with girls from traditionally underserved communities, using a community focused and OneHealth framework, to provide early professional opportunities in STEM. Ultimately the hope is that the conservation field can serve more communities, become more inclusive, and help create a robust workforce of young people dedicated to biodiversity conservation. We also work to generate tools and strategies that support long-term professional work in the conservation sector. Our work on mindfulness in conservation provides real-world tools to help reduce burnout and support conservation practitioners across scales. 

Visit: GirlsConserve 

Community Science in Conservation 

A central challenge for conservation is the inequity between proponents of global conservation and communities who experience the impacts of conservation decisions on the ground. In much of our work, we employ a “community science” approach (also known as Citizen Science), whereby members of the general public participate in collecting biodiversity data.  In this way, local communities can receive the benefits of biodiversity conservation action.  We examine the efficacy of citizen science programs in communities around the world. We also study interactions between tourists, tour-guides and wildlife to develop training programs for sustainable ecotourism.