Conservation Biology and Four Types of Advocacy

Abstract

The advocacy debate in ecology and conservation goes back a long way. In the early part of the twentieth century some ecologists were actively pursuing nature conservation, but others eschewed this kind of activism. When the Ecological Society of America (ESA) formed in 1915, a divide already existed regarding the mission of the society and the role of advocacy for preservation of natural areas (Nature Conservancy 2006). This conflict eventually resulted in a faction from within the ESA forming The Nature Conservancy in 1951. The discussion of advocacy in conservation biology is much the same, centering on whether or not scientists should use the results of their research to try to influence policy or management actions (Kirchhoff et al. 1995; Noss 1999; Mills & Clark 2001; Steel et al. 2004). We call this professional advocacy. Professional advocacy is important, but advocacy in the broad sense also includes other matters that are equally or more important; these are advocating for science, for ecosystem services, and for the natural world.