Community-based forest management (CFM) tends to evoke images of grassroots efforts and broad local capacity to manage forests. The picture however is much more complex. Organisations outside of local communities play important roles in achieving multiple social and ecological objectives. To better understand complex interactions between local communities and external organisations we applied social network…

Attempts to better understand the social context of environmental decisions has led to increased interest in human social networks and network analysis. Research on social networks can be incredibly valuable for conservation. It can assist with identifying stakeholders affected by conservation decisions or social networks crucial for resource mobilisation or knowledge generation and distribution. It…

Many tropical countries devolve forest management to forest‐dwelling communities based on assumption that local knowledge of forests and community engagement will attain multiple social and environmental co-benefits. The practice-based review published in Conservation Science and Practice examines the implementation of Indonesian policies on community forest management and recent studies on the impact of such management.…

Deforestation on private land in Australia is at some of the highest rates in the world, despite ongoing conservation policies to prevent the practice that is devastating for biodiversity. Researchers from the Wilson Lab have conducted the first robust analysis of a policy’s ability to reduce deforestation of remnant trees in Queensland, amidst ongoing debate…

Amidst fiery debate regarding new land clearing laws in Queensland earlier this year, researchers in the Wilson Lab have just published a paper looking at the drivers of net forest cover change and remnant forest loss in Queensland’s recent history, with a special focus on the broad-scale clearing ban of 2007 and the perverse effects…

The need to restore the world’s ecosystems and landscapes to protect biodiversity and vital ecosystem services has resulted in significant international commitments over the last decade, and governments and non-government organisations are now looking at ways to scale up restoration efforts. Restoring native vegetation has a wide variety of outcomes from successes to failures and…

Experiencing nature with a visit to a natural park provides important cultural ecosystem services that can potentially improve pro-environmental behaviours and attitudes. So, understanding the accessibility of protected areas and the way in which different visitors interact with them is a key factor in reducing inequality in access and help inform management and planning of…

In March 2018, Brazil has announced the creation of two new large marine protected areas (MPAs) that cover an impressive 92 million ha. The announcement, made during the 8th World Water Forum, takes the protected area in Brazil from a mere 1.5% to 25% of its Exclusive Economic Zone. This has won considerable plaudits in the…

Ivory poaching in Africa has been driven by demand from Asia with increasing number of wealthy consumers and investors. As the ivory usage is deeply rooted in Asian tradition, it is unlikely to decrease the demand by attempts to alter consumers’ preferences. In order to stop poaching we need to change mental models like Biggs…

It’s a long-standing ambition, for society to reach some sort of just and equitable ideal. What that means in practice differs, depending on the time, place, and people involved. But it does seem that meeting basic human rights and needs and the notion of ‘fairness’ are prevalent across discussions of social justice and equity. Things…