Proposing a social identity theory of interspecies dominance

Abstract

Traditional conservation scientists approach biodiversity from a resource-management perspective, in which both wildlife and non-living natural resources are managed to balance the interests of competing human stakeholders. Here, I argue for viewing biological conservation as part of a larger competition of the powerful and their interests against humans and wildlife alike. Drawing on social dominance theory to apply lessons on intergroup conflict to ecological networks, I propose that those political power structures that marginalize human populations, denying voice and inclusion, also perform poorly regarding wildlife species. Accounting for nonhuman species as a collection of agentic beings seeking to satisfy their own survival interests and that of their respective “social” group, I argue for connecting the literatures on social justice and ecological justice through common challenges rooted in the social psychology of power.