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Social-Psychological Principles of Community-Based Conservation and Conservancy Motivation: Attaining Goals within an Autonomy-Supportive Environment
VIEW LINK: http://conserveonline.org/
In order for community-based conservation projects to be truly successful, they must stress the autonomy of the local community. There is significant psychological evidence that people will respond more effectively to conservation initiatives when their autonomy is recognized and respected. The problem is that many conservationists do not understand the psychological mechanisms that affect a community’s participation in conservation projects. The authors stress the importance of creating an ‘autonomy-supportive environment’ through the following mechanisms:
- provision of stakeholder choice,
- substantive incorporation of individual and cultural identity,
- non-coercive social interaction.” (page 1449)
This article is available for members on ConserveOnline at the above URL.
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