Webinar “Success and failures as part of our professional journeys”
This webinar was organized by the Student Affairs Committee from the SCB Social Working Group (SSWG). Here speakers and attendees exchanged insightful experiences about the opportunities and challenges mentoring brings to those interested in pursuing a career in social sciences within the conservation sector. More information about the webinar can be fine here.
Webinar on the challenges and opportunities in the conservation social sciences across the continent of Africa, November 2023
On November 23, 2023, SSWG and SCB Africa co-hosted a webinar titled “Challenges and Opportunities in the Conservation Social Sciences Across Africa”. This event was a celebration of the use of Social Sciences in Africa, where we discussed the challenges faced and the future opportunities in this field. We were fortunate to have four great speakers share their experiences, followed by a Q&A session and a group breakout session for a more detailed discussion on the challenges and opportunities in the Social Sciences. You can see a recording of this webinar here.
Webinar series on effective conservation and social science communication, September 2022 – February 2023
As conservation social science researchers and practitioners, our impact often depends on translating and communicating our work for the benefit of another audience, whether that be 1) the lay audiences we seek to engage, 2) fellow conservation scientists from other social or natural science disciplines (e.g., ecologists, botanists, zoologists, social science research situated in other epistemologies); or 3) decision-makers that direct conservation practice and policy. During these webinars we will co-develop with the audience and speakers a series of effective communication best practice guides.
Webinar 1 Best Practices for Effective Science Communication with Lay Audiences
With much of the world engaging virtually in some manner (e.g., email, online meetings, and social media platforms), conservation professionals have a pivotal opportunity to communicate their research with the public at a much larger scale. However, communication of research findings into messages that non-expert (i.e., lay) audiences understand can be challenging. In this webinar, we examined effective techniques for communicating conservation social science research findings and key messages to lay audiences by asking experts who have successfully engaged audiences to share their experiences and best practices. This webinar took place Wednesday, September 7th at 4:00-5:30pm (US Eastern Daylight Time; UTC -4).
Facilitator: Dr Shannon Westlake, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Speakers:
- Associate Professor Jen Martin (@scidocmartin), University of Melbourne
- Dr Emma McKinley (@EmmaJMcKinley), Cardiff University
- Lindsey Crews, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
- Dr Catherine Doyle-Capitman, United States Forest Service
Webinar Recording
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Webinar 2 Best Practices for Effective Science Communication Among Conservation Professionals
Conservation cannot be most effectively accomplished by one person or one group of people, which is why collaborative, transdisciplinary efforts are essential. Such efforts may include bringing together academics from different disciplines and people from different societal groups (e.g., government, civil society, practitioners, industry) to generate knowledge to address real-world problems. Yet, collaboration is challenging because different types of professionals (e.g., natural scientists, social scientists, and practitioners) all have their own knowledge, experience, and language that can complicate conversations (e.g., the same word can have vastly different meanings across disciplines). Recent calls for transdisciplinary research have highlighted the promise of working across disciplines, yet efforts to engage in such research are nascent, requiring significant time and resources.
In this webinar, we seek to examine what resources, tools, and techniques have proved useful for effective communication among conservation professionals from diverse disciplines by asking experts working with transdisciplinary teams to share their experiences.
Facilitator: Dr Shannon Westlake, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Speakers:
- Professor Kai Chan (@KaiChanUBC), The University of British Columbia
- Associate Professor Alia Dietsch, Ohio State University
- Professor E.J. Milner-Gulland (@EJMilnerGulland), The University of Oxford
Webinar Recording
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Webinar 3: Best Practices for Effective Science Communication Among Policymakers
Conservation decision-making by policymakers is routinely based on biological and ecological information, yet the potential of the social sciences to inform the decision-making process is often overlooked. The widely accepted practice of evidence-based conservation decision-making is an impetus for considering more effective methods to work in the interactive space between conservation social science professionals and policy/decision-makers. As we will hear from our panel of experts, identifying the decision-making context and decision-makers and adapting communication approaches to match with the decision-making need most effectively can help bridge the gap between knowledge, information, and decision-making.
In this webinar, a multidisciplinary panel of experts will offer their insights and best practice recommendations for effectively communicating conservation social science with policymakers, and it might not be exactly what you expect! Please join us for the conclusion of our Communication Webinar series.
Facilitator: Dr Matthew Selinske, RMIT University
Speakers:
Professor Kathryn Williams (@kathjhw), The University of Melbourne
Director Fern M Hames (@fernhames), Arthur Rylah Institute
Professor Richie Howitt, Macquarie University