Connecting Communities, Connecting Environments: The Role of Social Capital in Landscape-Scale Conservation

Abstract

Landscape-level conservation initiatives typically need to connect a diverse group of stakeholders to achieve conservation goals. This requires an understanding of the role that social capital plays in leveraging conservation actions across scales. We researched how conservation organizations use social capital to achieve their goals through a case study of the Bellbird Biological Corridor (CBPC) in Costa Rica. We conducted a social network analysis among local conservation and development organizations in the CBPC and combined this with stakeholder interviews to assess how the structure of the social network affects stakeholders’ abilities to scale conservation initiatives. Results reveal a highly centralized network around a particular sub-region of the CBPC and a relatively disconnected network throughout the rest of the corridor, with varying conservation concerns and initiatives throughout the region. We suggest that a strengthened network of geographically dispersed key stakeholders can help bridge local initiatives to the benefit of landscape connectivity.