Advocacy in conservation science: an introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

To some conservation biologists, advocacy is an action to be avoided at all costs. To others, it is not only implicit within the discipline ofconservation biology but is an obligation that must be fulfilled by citizens in a civil society who hold specialised technical knowledge – and for the science and practice ofnature conservation, that means conservation biologists. This Special Issue addresses the tension between the two positions and seeks to provide guidance to conservation biologists as they grapple with how to conduct their research ethically and to communicate its findings effectively, not only to their colleagues but to policy makers and the general public. To those who hold the view that advocacy is a scientist’s social responsibility, it should also help them find ways to further the cause ofconservation biology – the maintenance oflife in all its wonderful and irreplaceable variety – while maintaining their professional standing among peers and colleagues