Introduction to the Roadmap
North America and the world are undergoing unprecedented change. Globalization, increased mobility of people and products, increased connectivity, improved technology, urbanization, an aging population, broad socio-economic change, and climate change are all affecting the conservation of fish and wildlife. In addition, North Americans are becoming more diverse in their values, perspectives, and interests relative to fish and wildlife.
Fish and wildlife conservation is also undergoing major changes characterized by increased global stressors, interjurisdictional issues, and increasingly complex conservation challenges that require long-term management and new skill sets. Other changes include increased numbers and diversity of stakeholders with varied interests in, and values toward, fish and wildlife; declining or stagnant participation rates in hunting, angling, and trapping; and increasing numbers of people who do not have a personal connection to the natural world. These changes are causing a paradigm shift in many agencies as they adapt from an expert-authority governance model to one that is more participatory, inclusive, collaborative, systems-oriented, and adaptive to changing societal conditions.
All North Americans benefit from the conservation of fish and wildlife. Millions of people engage with conservation agencies by participating in decision-making processes and programs. Many recognize the benefits they receive from conservation, yet the vast majority of the public is unaware of, or does not value or support, conservation or conservation agencies. This lack of understanding and engagement by a large segment of society could have implications for the sustainability of fish, wildlife, and their habitats. As the percentage of people who hunt and fish declines, the base of people who are aware of, participate in, value, and support conservation must be expanded beyond traditional constituencies who can no longer disproportionately shoulder the financial burden.
Societal changes and the increasing complexities of — and pressures on — fish and wildlife conservation resulted in the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies formation of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources. The Panel made two recommendations. The first was to secure $1.3 billion in new dedicated funding to support implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans aimed at conserving over 12,000 species of greatest conservation need. The second recommendation called for an examination of the impact of societal changes on the relevancy of fish and wildlife conservation and recommendations on how agencies and their programs might transform to engage and serve broader constituencies. Broader constituencies are individuals and groups of people who are not currently engaged in conservation or with a conservation agency. These might include people from diverse ethnicities and backgrounds, youth, the elderly, people with disabilities, new immigrants, people of varied economic or educational backgrounds, and those who live in urbanized communities with limited or no access or personal connection to fish or wildlife.
© Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
As the percentage of people who hunt and fish declines, the base of people who are aware of, participate in, value, and support conservation must be expanded beyond traditional constituencies who can no longer disproportionately shoulder the financial burden
This Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap charts the beginning of a new era focused on expanding the relevance of conservation to more diverse constituencies. Relevance of fish and wildlife conservation means that conservation is essential or connected to important aspects of people’s lives such as their physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being, clean air and water, protection from severe weather, education, and economic prosperity.
The Relevancy Roadmap builds on decades of work by agencies and their partners to engage and serve certain key constituencies and more limited efforts to engage and serve broader constituencies. As former Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies President Virgil Moore noted, this new era in conservation is about getting “better, faster, and stronger” so agencies can build on the successes of the past. The Roadmap is a compilation of nonprescriptive recommendations based on the best available research, insight, and experience of conservation professionals. The recommendations are directed toward expanding the relevance of conservation and engaging and serving new constituencies while continuing to do so for those who are already allies.
The outdoor interests and wildlife value orientations of the public are changing. Historically, agencies have engaged principally with hunters, anglers, trappers, target shooters, select landowners, and wildlife viewers. Most state populations are diversifying and becoming more urban. A smaller proportion of the public may be aware of conservation agencies, their responsibilities, or the opportunities and benefits they provide. There are increased demands on agencies for expanded or new information, programs, and services. Expanding conservation relevance to, and value and support from, unengaged constituents is part of the evolution of agency-based fish and wildlife conservation and management.
The Nature of Americans Report (Case and Kellert 2017) and other studies show that Americans have widespread interest in nature, believe it is important to have a connection with nature, and express verbal support for conservation programs. In addition, peoples’ values toward fish and wildlife are shifting. America’s Wildlife Values study (Manfredo et al., 2018) documented a substantial shift in wildlife value orientations in Western states away from utilitarian to mutualist values. They also found that there are major differences between the value orientations of agency staff and the public. The growing discipline of human dimensions of wildlife (social science applied to natural resource issues) is providing significant data and insight to agencies to help them understand and become more inclusive of a wide array of perspectives, interests, attitudes, and behaviors relative to fish and wildlife and their habitats (Jacobson and Decker 2007, 2008, 2017; annotated bibliography).
Achieving conservation management effectiveness is a never-ending process of organizational improvement. The context and conditions for fish and wildlife conservation has continually evolved since the emergence of conservation agencies in the U.S. over 100 years ago. Despite this evolution, the public trust responsibilities of those organizations remain the same. As challenges to agencies change, so must the approaches to conservation. Conservation agencies have a successful record of accomplishment and rich legacy of natural resource management. These roots give agencies a solid foundation to build upon and meet the ever-growing challenges of fish and wildlife in the future.
The specific ways agencies are getting “better, faster, and stronger” vary widely across the continent, thus no single approach or prescribed pathway is appropriate. The Roadmap, like a map showing multiple ways to get from point A to point B, provides pathways an agency might take to increase its relevancy, but it does not include every pathway available. Each agency works in a different socio-Enhanced Conservation Through Broader Engagement 15 political climate, and so each agency must determine the most appropriate pathway. The Roadmap does not provide prescriptive turn-by-turn directions, but instead offers guidance generated from the conservation community on how to overcome barriers to engaging and serving broader constituencies.
Just as there is no one path for all agencies to follow, there are no quick or easy fixes. Increasing relevancy to, and value and support from, a broad spectrum of constituencies will require innovative, thoughtful, and inclusive approaches that will take time and resources to implement. It will require courageous leadership to guide agency change to enhance or adopt new practices and will require staff at all levels to be flexible and adaptable. It will require agencies to understand the need to adapt to changing societal conditions and increase acquisition and application of social science information to identify, better understand, engage, and serve broader constituencies.
Agencies must be more inclusive of diverse interests and perspectives, be open to assessing and modernizing agency processes and practices, and improve partnering, collaboration, and learning. Agencies will continue to provide information, services, and opportunities to those who are already engaged and who provide important support for agencies and their conservation work. The importance of engaging and serving broader constituencies cannot be at the expense of leaving behind or alienating existing and long-term allies like hunters and anglers.
© Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Expanding conservation relevance to, and value and support from, unengaged constituents is part of the evolution of agency-based fish and wildlife conservation and management.
