Public Research and Evaluation Program

Wildlife conservation involves both a practical understanding of the science of biodiversity loss and how human behavior can change to reduce our impact on the biosphere. The Public Research and Evaluation Program was founded in the fall of 2006 to aid WCS and other conservation organizations in achieving their missions by providing timely and practical social science research and evaluation into the human dimensions of wildlife conservation. These dimensions include understanding how people understand conservation concepts, key motivators for engaging in conservation activities and what it will require to develop new social norms that promote a more conservation-minded society. The program undertakes its research or evaluation projects to solve urgent questions facing the conservation community in collaboration with in-house WCS staff, the academic community, and other like-minded organizations. The program prioritizes work that will provide WCS staff and the conservation community with practical information that can improve their effectiveness at working with communities worldwide to save wildlife and wild places.

Goals

1. To understand the social issues surrounding conservation by undertaking primary research, evaluation and analysis of the human dimensions of sustaining wildlife based on WCS institutions, departments and programs.

2. To increase knowledge and understanding of the human dimensions of advancing conservation values in the communities where WCS works, in order to increase the effectiveness of the Society’s programs, exhibitions, and communications strategies.

3. To increase the conservation community’s baseline knowledge about how conservation values are developed and behaviors encouraged in all areas of WCS influence.

4. To foster interdisciplinary collaborations by providing liaison services and advice to the collective community of zoological institutions and conservation organizations.

5. To assist other WCS departments and divisions in data collection and processing to whatever extent necessary and to provide input on the design and interpretation of the survey methodology and instruments.

6. To represent WCS by making significant contributions to the international community of conservationists through publication and dissemination of research results in peer-reviewed literature, professional forums, and popular media.

Project Types


Research: The department seeks to identify actionable results from research that can used to improve the value, quality and effectiveness of the WCS programs.  This research includes understanding how and why zoos/aquariums are valued in society, how local communities surrounding endangered species ranges understand conservation issues, perceptions of conservation that can help shape curriculum needs, and conceptual frameworks to help WCS departments refine their anticipated program outcomes to advance the WCS mission.

Evaluation: The program develops evaluation projects to assess existing or proposed WCS initiatives to determine how they are currently working, measures successes and weaknesses, and determines what changes are necessary to improve their mission-related results.

Analysis: The program works within the social sciences literature to build on previous research through assessing it in relation to zoo, education, and field projects through meta-analysis of trends in the literature, and ongoing maintenance of longitudinal data to identify trends that may influence or alter how WCS key programs perform in a changing society.

Interpretation: The program staff serves in a consulting and advisory capacity, helping build an interdisciplinary strength in conservation psychology at WCS. The staff in the department work to provide concise summaries and action strategies based on the social sciences to help other departments internalize the findings and increase effectiveness at implementing research results.

Publication: The program is committed to publication of its findings to enhance knowledge of the research throughout the conservation community and to promote the leadership role of WCS in conservation.

This page was last updated on 12-20-2006.