The potential for applying “Nonviolent Communication” in conservation science

Abstract
The role of a conservation scientist has never been more challenging. Amidst the rapid degradation occurring across Earth's natural ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, conservation scientists must learn new and effective ways to build trust and engage with the wider community. Here, we discuss the potential utility of a particular communication technique, Nonviolent Communication (also known as Compassionate Communication or Collaborative Communication), in conservation science. Nonviolent Communication is a structured form of communication, developed in the 1960s by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, that seeks to foster interpersonal understanding and connection through communication of judgment‐free observations, recognition of people's feelings, needs and values, and requests for specific actions to meet those needs. It has delivered positive outcomes in diverse fields such as prisoner reform, health science, and social work, and holds great promise for conservation applications. While there is no single communication strategy that resonates with all people, we argue that Nonviolent Communication could be used by conservation scientists and practitioners when communicating with colleagues, politicians, and the general public about important and sometimes contentious environmental issues.

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Metrics

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76

References

Details

Published: Sep 22, 2021
Vol/Issue: 3(11)
License: View

Authors

B

Brooke A. Williams

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

B

B. Alexander Simmons

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; Centre for the Environment, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology Queensland Australia; Global Development Policy Center, Boston University Boston Massachusetts USA

M

Michelle Ward

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

J

Jutta Beher

School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria Australia

A

Angela J. Dean

Centre for the Environment, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology Queensland Australia

T

Tida Nou

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

T

Tania M. Kenyon

Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; School Of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

M

Madeline Davey

Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; School Of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

C

Courtney B. Melton

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

P

Phoebe J. Stewart‐Sinclair

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; School Of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

N

Niall L. Hammond

Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security Griffith University Queensland Australia

E

Emily Massingham

Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; School Of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

C

Carissa J. Klein

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Queensland Australia

Cite This Article

Brooke A. Williams, B. Alexander Simmons, Michelle Ward, et al. (2021). The potential for applying “Nonviolent Communication” in conservation science. Conservation Science and Practice, 3(11). https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.540

The potential for applying “Nonviolent Communication” in conservation science

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