Linking regional planning and local action: Towards using social network analysis in systematic conservation planning

• Published in: Biological conservation Vol. 169; pp. 6 - 13
• Main Authors: Mills, Morena, Álvarez-Romero, Jorge G., Vance-Borland, Ken, Cohen, Philippa, Pressey, Robert L., Guerrero, Angela M., Ernstson, Henrik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation; Conservation area design; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; decision making; decision support systems; Ecological monitoring; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Implementation; Joints; Natural resource management; Natural resources; natural resources conservation; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; planning; Regional; Resource management; Social network; Social networks; space and time; Spatial prioritization; stakeholders; Wildlife conservation; Natural resource management; Social network; Conservation area design; Spatial prioritization; Implementation; Natural resources; Analysis; Area planning; Regional planning; Protected area; Resource management; Environmental protection
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2013.10.015
• ISSN: 0006-3207; 1873-2917

•Social networks play an important role in facilitating effective resource management.•Social network analysis describes social network structures that benefit resource management.•Social network analysis can contribute to the conservation planning process.•However, some practical and academic challenges still need to be overcome. Social networks play an important role in facilitating effective and sustained connections between people responsible for regional conservation plans and those responsible for local conservation actions. Yet, few studies have utilized social network analysis in systematic conservation planning initiatives; this, in spite of social network analysis being developed as a structural and relational approach to describe and analyze the characteristics of patterns of relationships that make collaborative efforts more or less effective at solving natural resource management problems. Systematic conservation planning provides a framework for allocating actions in time and space to promote the conservation of biodiversity. Our study discusses three potential contributions of social network analysis to systematic conservation planning: identifying stakeholders and their roles in social networks, and characterizing relationships between them; designing and facilitating strategic networking to strengthen linkages between local and regional conservation initiatives; and prioritizing conservation actions using measures of social connectivity alongside ecological data. We propose that social network analysis has the potential to be a valuable tool to support decision making in conservation planning. We identify challenges and future research questions to be addressed to allow the integration of social network analysis into conservation planning processes.