Socio-ecological systems offer a framework to guide the social transformations required for sustainability. However, disconnects within these systems have been identified, particularly in the relationship between scientific knowledge and the emotional or cultural connections people have with wildlife. This gap hinders the development of effective and inclusive conservation strategies. Our research highlights the potential of arts-based approaches to integrate rational knowledge and emotions to address this disconnection. In this chapter, we describe and assess experiences with primate conservation education in schools from Southern Mexico. These experiences incorporate artistic expressions to explore, collect, analyze, communicate, and highlight issues related to socio-ecological processes and biocultural conservation. We use photovoice’s theoretical and practical basis to explore and generate solutions for wildlife conservation issues. In this methodology participants of all ages take pictures of various scenarios or situations related to a specific topic to structure a dialogue that can diagnose environmental problems in a given context and then advance socio-environmental action. As the community listens and reacts to the participants’ perspectives, this process can guide them toward finding joint solutions that benefit both wildlife and human communities, fostering coexistence. Although this technique has been widely applied in various disciplines,—primarily sociocultural and health research issues—we use it here in a novel context: wildlife conservation. We have found that photovoice is an effective participatory and educational technique because it: (1) served as a connection tool linking students, adults, and other stakeholders from the community, including the municipality, artisans, and farmers; (2) helped examine social, environmental, and socio-ecological change; (3) enhanced students’ perception of wildlife and facilitated the identification of positive and negative interactions between wildlife and the community; and (4) provided input into community processes focused on natural resource management. Although this chapter focuses on a local case study in a Mexican community, its methodology could be used at other locations and support biocultural conservation at broader scales by identifying new pathways to foster respectful coexistence in biocultural diversity.

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Photovoice: A Community-Based Research and Communication Tool for Wildlife Conservation and Coexistence

  • Montserrat Franquesa-Soler,
  • M. Azahara Mesa-Jurado

摘要

Socio-ecological systems offer a framework to guide the social transformations required for sustainability. However, disconnects within these systems have been identified, particularly in the relationship between scientific knowledge and the emotional or cultural connections people have with wildlife. This gap hinders the development of effective and inclusive conservation strategies. Our research highlights the potential of arts-based approaches to integrate rational knowledge and emotions to address this disconnection. In this chapter, we describe and assess experiences with primate conservation education in schools from Southern Mexico. These experiences incorporate artistic expressions to explore, collect, analyze, communicate, and highlight issues related to socio-ecological processes and biocultural conservation. We use photovoice’s theoretical and practical basis to explore and generate solutions for wildlife conservation issues. In this methodology participants of all ages take pictures of various scenarios or situations related to a specific topic to structure a dialogue that can diagnose environmental problems in a given context and then advance socio-environmental action. As the community listens and reacts to the participants’ perspectives, this process can guide them toward finding joint solutions that benefit both wildlife and human communities, fostering coexistence. Although this technique has been widely applied in various disciplines,—primarily sociocultural and health research issues—we use it here in a novel context: wildlife conservation. We have found that photovoice is an effective participatory and educational technique because it: (1) served as a connection tool linking students, adults, and other stakeholders from the community, including the municipality, artisans, and farmers; (2) helped examine social, environmental, and socio-ecological change; (3) enhanced students’ perception of wildlife and facilitated the identification of positive and negative interactions between wildlife and the community; and (4) provided input into community processes focused on natural resource management. Although this chapter focuses on a local case study in a Mexican community, its methodology could be used at other locations and support biocultural conservation at broader scales by identifying new pathways to foster respectful coexistence in biocultural diversity.