ACES 2011: Conservation Conflicts: strategies for coping with a changing world

The conference will focus on five themes.

1. Understanding Conflicts
*Insights from different disciplines, including: Ecology, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Political Science, Economics, Law, Philosophy, Peace Studies, Ethics & environmental History
* cross-disciplinary perspectives
* Socio-ecological drivers of conflict
* Vulnerability and conflict

2. Case studies in species conflicts
These case studies will highlight a range of conflicts over particular species, identifying the background to the conflict, the main players, the human and natural science dimensions and alternative options for managing the conflict. An indicative list includes: i); conflicts between pastoralism and snow leopard conservation in the Himalayas, ii) the conflict between fishing and turtle conservation in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, iii) conflicts between upland management for red grouse and conservation of hen harriers in the UK, and iv) species reintroductions.

3. Case studies in protected area conflicts
These case studies will highlight a range of conflicts associated with protected areas, identifying the background to the conflict, the main players, the human and natural science dimensions and alternative options for managing the conflict.. An indicative list includes: i) conflicts around wildlife conservation in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania; ii) participatory buffer zone management in the forests of the Knuckles Conservation Area, Sri Lanka; and iii) challenges of establishing a marine protected area network in Scotland.

4. Case studies in land use / ecosystem services conflicts
These case studies will highlight conflicts between different forms of land use or between the management of different ecosystem services. They will identify the background to the conflict, the main players, the human and natural science dimensions and alternative options for managing the conflict. An indicative list includes: i) effects of agricultural intensification on farmland bird diversity in Europe; ii) conflicts between forestry and conservation of Spotted Owls in North America; iii) conflicts between biofuels, windfarms and biodiversity in degraded drylands and UK uplands iv) re-wilding.

5. Approaches to managing conflict
* Practical challenges
* Policy and legislative approaches to solving conflict
* Managing for conflicts, risks and uncertainty
* The role of mediation
* Participatory, co-management, adaptive management approaches, managing for complexity
* Adaptive governance and multiple scale challenges