Hi all, Human survival on Earth depends on our ability to sustain the natural systems that provide clean air, water, and food. While there are many success stories regarding humans protecting the planet, we are failing at the highest levels. Part of the reason for that is that in our conservation work, we treat people as part of the problem. Local communities are often viewed as passive stakeholders rather than active agents of change. They are told what not to do, where not to go, and how not to develop their communities. This approach needs to change. People need to be seen as part of the solution. When it comes to Protected Areas (PAs), they are being downgraded and downsized, resulting in losses of millions of square miles, and over half of the world’s PAs are underfunded or unmanaged. Local populations are seen as cost layers that ‘maximize’ conservation outcomes. Instead of viewing people in this transactional way, we should ask questions like: What are the needs of the local communities most vulnerable to climate change, poverty, and overfishing? What are the most promising community-led solutions to a current problem? What are the barriers to bringing locally-led solutions to scale? In addition to asking those questions, this approach means that we recognize local leadership. It means direct investment in local communities and their leaders. Their knowledge, traditions, and needs should be integrated into conservation strategies. An example of this is the Coastal500 network of mayors and local leaders.
In social marketing, putting communities at the center means talking about people rather than audiences, and serving people rather than targeting them. It also means shifting from a marketing-to perspective to a marketing-with perspective (Lefebvre, 2013). In other words, it would benefit us to view the group whose behavior we wish to influence as value co-creators. In community-based social marketing, specifically, we recognize that direct, personal contact at the community level is one of the best ways to foster sustainable behaviour (Lynes et al, 2014). If we keep in mind that communities and individuals are agents of change as we are, we may be better positioned to tackle our most pressing conservation challenges. To read more about a people-centered approach to conservation, click on Rare’s article here.
In social marketing, putting communities at the center means talking about people rather than audiences, and serving people rather than targeting them. It also means shifting from a marketing-to perspective to a marketing-with perspective (Lefebvre, 2013). In other words, it would benefit us to view the group whose behavior we wish to influence as value co-creators. In community-based social marketing, specifically, we recognize that direct, personal contact at the community level is one of the best ways to foster sustainable behaviour (Lynes et al, 2014). If we keep in mind that communities and individuals are agents of change as we are, we may be better positioned to tackle our most pressing conservation challenges. To read more about a people-centered approach to conservation, click on Rare’s article here.
