TITLE:
Psychological Knowledge Relevant to Leadership in Wildlife Conservation
AUTHORS:
Simon A. Black
KEYWORDS:
Conservation, Psychology, Systems Theory, Competence, Followership
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Leadership,
Vol.8 No.3,
September
23,
2019
ABSTRACT: This study aims to identify whether a published leadership framework recommended for
conservation professionals aligns with knowledge established in the wealth of literature relating to the New
Psychology of Leadership. Wildlife conservation involves the protection and
recovery of endangered species, landscape protection or ecosystem
reconstruction and is a sector in which leaders face complex systems of
resource constraints, socio-political resistance and technical challenges. The literature on conservation leadership has grown in recent
years 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
addressing leadership offers suitable alternatives to the traditional approach.
This review identifies practical psychological research relating to competences
including budgeting, planning, experimentation, training, governance and
performance measurement as well as more obvious personal competences of interpersonal skills, vision,
empowerment, cultural sensitivity. The findings from this review demonstrate
that the most comprehensive current framework for conservation leadership
appears valid in the light of contemporary psychological knowledge and is a
robust guide which matches the context, constraints and challenges faced by leaders of wildlife
conservation.