Doctoral Dissertation Research: Rewilding, Wildlife Conservation Decision-Making, and Environmental Change

博士论文研究：野化、野生动物保护决策和环境变化

• 批准号: 2315257
• 负责人: Nancy Postero
• 金额: $ 2.73万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-15 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2315257&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Rewilding; Wildlife

Protecting the habitats for threatened or endangered wildlife in national parks and reserves has been a long-standing practice of wildlife conservation. However, the effects of climate change on these protected habitats demands a reconsideration of whether or not this model is effective. Recent scholarship has suggested that the conservation methodology of rewilding – the reintroduction or stabilization of wildlife populations as a way to restore ecosystems – provides an alternative. Its emphasis on dispersing wildlife through corridors might provide species with greater flexibility to migrate within and between warming ecosystems. This research examines the implementation of rewilding projects to assess how the effects of climate change on wildlife habitats influence scientific practices on the ground. In addition to training a doctoral student in ethnographic methods and analysis, this research should provide evidence of how conservation scientists and practitioners confront the reality of changing climates in their efforts to prevent extirpation and extinction. Research findings will be shared with conservation organizations (non-governmental and governmental) and will be published in both academic and non-academic avenues in order to raise public awareness regarding the seriousness of climate change for threatened wildlife. The central question of this project asks whether, how, and why climate change informs stakeholder responses to and decisions about wildlife conservation. To answer this, research will be conducted among several groups of stakeholders including conservation philanthropists, scientists, state officials, and local communities. By integrating perspectives from actors involved in or affected by rewilding projects, this research tests for the cultural, economic, scientific, and/or political concerns that guide conservation decision-making. This research brings together frameworks from Science Studies and political ecology to provide new theoretical insights into how recourse to scientific expertise, political power, and economic influence inflects climate change responses. Through employing ethnographic methods like participant observation and in-depth interviews, this project demonstrates the importance of anthropological investigation in climate change research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在国家公园和储备金中保护栖息地，以威胁或濒危野生动植物是野生动植物保护的一种长期行为。但是，气候变化对这些受保护的栖息地的影响需要重新考虑该模型是否有效。最近的奖学金已被认为，复兴的保护方法 - 野生动植物种群的重新引入或稳定作为恢复生态系统的一种方式 - 提供了一种替代方法。它强调通过走廊分散野生动植物可能会为物种提供更大的灵活性，可以在变暖生态系统之间和之间迁移。这项研究检查了重新野生项目的实施，以评估气候变化对野生动植物栖息地的影响如何影响地面科学实践。除了培训博士生人种学方法和分析的博士生外，这项研究还应提供保护科学家和实践者如何面对改变气候的现实，以防止灭绝和扩展的现实。研究发现将与保护组织（非政府和政府）共享，并将在学术和非学术途径中发表，以提高公众对威胁性野生动植物气候变化的严重性的认识。该项目的核心问题询问，气候变化是否会为利益相关者对野生动植物保护的回应和决定提供信息。为了回答这一点，将在包括保护慈善家，科学家，州官员和当地社区在内的几个利益相关者组中进行研究。通过整合参与或受到重新野生项目影响的参与参与或影响的观点，该研究测试了指导保护决策的文化，经济，科学和/或政治问题。这项研究汇集了科学研究和政治生态学的框架，以提供有关求助于科学专业知识，政治权力和经济影响的新理论见解，从而影响了气候变化的反应。通过采用民族志方法，例如参与观察和深入的访谈，该项目证明了人类学投资在气候变化研究中的重要性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准通过评估来获得的支持。