Collaboration and the Politics of Conservation

Abstract

Todays world is a complicated place, and it is difficult to imagine a meaningful conservation effort that will not require positive interactions among people of different backgrounds. At the very least this will include scientists from different areas of expertise, field naturalists, and policy-makers, often from different countries, different social expectations, and speaking different languages. Often additional requirements are included in the mix. In this chapter, we will discuss the changing world of how science is done, including conservation science, why collaboration is necessary, and how to approach a collaborator to enhance the likelihood of success. We will focus particularly on efforts to impact management decisions in the Galapagos Islands, and what may make this a less daunting challenge than elsewhere, but what challenges are present despite the focus of multiple Galapagos agencies on conservation. We focus on the nature of our collaborations with Galapagos agencies, and the critical importance of building stable local capacity in a changing political environment.