Conservation organisations need to broaden out from a focus on natural science evidence to fully realise their conservation objectives. Both interdisciplinary – drawing on multiple academic disciplines – and transdisciplinary – integrating other knowledges and practices – approaches are needed to appreciate the multiplicity of relations and voices at work in the conservation space. Dick et al explain the necessity of multiple approaches in more depth here. The role Human Nature plays is to support conservation professionals and organisations to build their capacity to access and integrate social science. 

This blog is aimed at readers who work in conservation organisations which are relatively unfamiliar with social science or early in their journey to integrate social science evidence into their projects. What can these organisations do to move towards becoming interdisciplinary in their research and organisational practices? This will be of relevance to a wide variety of organisations, such as NGOs, government departments, academic teams or institutes and interest groups or networks (e.g. PhD student networks, species/habitat special interest groups). 

I was recently talking to the lead social scientist at a UK organisation which is relatively early in their integration of social science.  This person feels overwhelmed by the scale of the change, and pretty lost when it comes to figuring out what the steps are which could move this agenda forwards.  

The task of integrating social science into conservation organisations and projects can feel enormous. And the wider context is challenging: we exist in a landscape of funding changes, tumultuous international geo-political dynamics and chronic overwork. This blog aims to break down seven steps your conservation organisation can take towards social science, to ensure the people aspect of environmental systems – their needs, problems, behaviours, values and solutions they bring – are increasingly recognised and considered in conservation practice.

1. Think about how people feature in your conservation mission

Many conservation organisations are focussed on the non-human elements of the system – maybe a particular species group or habitat. What would bringing people into the picture mean for your conservation mission? Start with why your organisation exists. And then consider the people aspects of the system: what human driven problems exist, what are the impacts on human communities of the ecological challenges you are working to resolve, what values do people hold and the solutions they want to see for the species/habitat/location, how could they impact this mission? 

You may not have clear answers to this question, and that’s fine. The important thing is to begin asking – and to recognise where social science evidence gaps exist. What new dimensions and greater depth can the evidence of people unlock for your conservation mission? 

2. Bring your people together to talk about social science

It’s helpful to bring your existing team together to talk about social science. This allows you to see, first hand, the attitudes people have towards social science and their own work. Whether there’s resistance, enthusiasm, questions (probably all of the above!) this initial data gathering exercise does two things. Firstly, it builds a picture of how social science is viewed within the organisation, and what opportunities or gaps arise from that. And, importantly, it also allows the team to be heard. 

So often, when I deliver in-house training, staff comment on the novelty of having a space to explore the topic of people evidence.  Even if there is some resistance to social science. It means people have a chance to answer questions that they have potentially never been asked before. It protects time for people to consider possibilities for their conservation work. It allows space to talk about how things might be different. 

If you’re not sure you have buy-in for a focused meeting on social science, try adding it to the agenda of existing review meetings e.g. team updates, department reviews etc. with the aim of getting support to arrange a follow-on focussed conversation.

3. Consider what social science will add to your mission

Considering the human dimensions of conservation is a non-negotiable – people are ‘baked in’ to any conservation problem or solution. And social science is needed to harness the evidence of people. So where do you need social science? Consider the priority areas your organisation is focussed on: what problems are you trying to solve and where can people evidence help for each area?

It can be helpful to review a completed project with a social science lens. How would it have been shaped differently if social science was part of the picture? What different information or outcomes might have arisen? This isn’t to criticise missed opportunities, but to allow your team or organisation to consider a real example, and the scope that social science might allow for your mission. 

This step needs someone with enough social science understanding to offer insight. Be honest if you’re looking at this without that understanding, and look across your network to find someone who can support you. 

4. Assess your baseline social science capacity

As well as exploring people’s attitudes towards social science, it’s helpful to do a baseline assessment of the social science knowledge and skills the organisation has access to, and might not know about. For example, do you have people on your team who did psychology or sociology A-levels or degrees? Or perhaps organisations you work in partnership with have social science teams. 

This is not to suggest that you can simply redeploy those people into social science functions, of course! But, for social science to become integrated into an organisation there needs to be a foundational level of understanding throughout, not purely focussed on a key individual. So, mapping where some degree of social science literacy is in place will help you understand what you can build on. 

5. Work with social scientists

You don’t need to establish an in-house social science team immediately, if at all. There are other, lower-cost ways to bring social science expertise into your organisation. For example, you could convene a small working group of social scientists to advise when setting up a project, and sit on an advisory board. 

You could also pay a social science consultant to do scoping, design, field work or evaluation. You can read more on working with a social science consultant here

6. Build basic social science literacy across the organisation

You will need a critical mass of team members to understand what social science is, and its value for your conservation mission. Not everyone on the team needs to be an expert, but enough people need to be literate so that the people dimension isn’t siloed, and you can have real impact. Plenty of misconceptions about social science persist, from the idea that qualitative evidence is ‘just talking to people’ to a lack of understanding of the ways quantitative evidence can be gathered and interpreted. 

My two day Essentials of Conservation Social Science for Organisations is designed to provide a functional level of social science literacy, for 15-100 people, and then examine the specific barriers and opportunities in your organisation. Contact me for availability.

7. Create capacity around key individuals

In tandem with creating a foundational level of social science literacy across the board, it’s important to support key people who will move this agenda forward. I call them catalysts – these are the people who understand and make the case for social science, and can bring others with them. Whether it’s building a cross-departmental working group, finding a mentor, or joining an external network, it’s important that these people don’t feel isolated. I have some capacity for supporting Catalysts in 2026, which you can read about here. 

Every step your conservation organisation can take towards social science helps

Social science needs to be core business for conservation organisations. And that takes time. Considering where the human dimension fits into your mission, and building from there is a great start. If you would like support in understanding the role of social science in your organisation, and how to bring your teams with you, I’d love to hear from you.

Email me to book a free call. 

Article written February 2026