Psychological Knowledge Relevant to Leadership in Wildlife Conservation

Abstract

This study aims to identify whether a published leadership framework recommended for \nconservation professionals aligns with knowledge established in the wealth of literature relating to the New \nPsychology of Leadership. Wildlife conservation involves the protection and \nrecovery of endangered species, landscape protection or ecosystem \nreconstruction and is a sector in which leaders face complex systems of \nresource constraints, socio-political resistance and technical challenges. The literature on conservation leadership has grown in recent \nyears but is rarely linked to an understanding of psychology. Studies have shown difficulties arising when a traditional power-based leadership approach is applied to conservation. Current psychological literature \naddressing leadership offers suitable alternatives to the traditional approach. \nThis review identifies practical psychological research relating to competences \nincluding budgeting, planning, experimentation, training, governance and \nperformance measurement as well as more obvious personal competences of interpersonal skills, vision, \nempowerment, cultural sensitivity. The findings from this review demonstrate \nthat the most comprehensive current framework for conservation leadership \nappears valid in the light of contemporary psychological knowledge and is a \nrobust guide which matches the context, constraints and challenges faced by leaders of wildlife \nconservation.