Is poor mental health an unrecognised occupational health and safety hazard for conservation biologists and ecologists? Reported incidences, likely causes and possible solutions

Abstract

Workers in many professions suffer from poor mental health as a result of their employment. Although a bibliographic search generated little published evidence for poor mental health among conservation biologists and ecologists, the phenomenon has been reported among researchers working on coral reefs, climate change, wildfires and threatened species. Factors responsible for poor mental health include (1) epistemic attributes associated with conservation biologists' and ecologists' deep knowledge base; (2) non-epistemic values associated with their view of the natural world; and (3) a complex suite of factors relating to the wider social, political and economic milieu in which they practise their trade. Because it relates directly to employment, poor mental health among conservation biologists and ecologists must be differentiated from the phenomena of 'environmental grief' and 'solastalgia' reported in the wider community. A number of solutions to the problem have been suggested, including appreciating the conservation successes that have been achieved, recognising the importance of collegiality and comradeship, acknowledging the role of grieving rituals, active intervention via therapeutic counselling, reducing the incidence of censorship and repression of scientists' research, and the adoption of a Stoic view of the world. I propose a different approach: conservation biologists and ecologists should reposition their personal experiences within an historical perspective that sees them as part of a long tradition of struggle to protect the natural environment. An apt rallying cry to help conservation biologists and ecologists manage their mental health is Pablo Casals' 'The situation is hopeless. We must take the next step'.

Supporting conservationists’ mental health through better working conditions

“…All rights reserved. solastalgia, are also expected to play an important role (Clayton 2018;Gordon et al 2019;Boon 2022). The causes and consequences of this emotional toll are likely to be complex and vary between individuals, groups, and geographies, highlighting important topics for further investigation.…”

“…Nature and its capacity to support human well-being are being lost at unprecedented rates (IPBES 2019). Conservation professionals are at the forefront of efforts to reverse this loss but can face challenging working conditions that may threaten their mental health and capacity to protect nature (Boon 2022). Mental health is a "state of well-being in which the individual realizes [their] own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to [their] community" (WHO 2004).…”

“…Conservation professionals are at the forefront of efforts to reverse biodiversity loss, but they can face challenging working conditions that may threaten their mental health and capacity to protect nature (Boon, 2022). Good mental health is a state of well-being in which individuals realize their abilities, can cope with normal life stresses, can work productively, and are able to contribute to their communities (WHO, 2004).…”

“…Environmental change can be a source of anxiety and grief among the general public (e.g., Hickman et al., 2021), partly arising from the current and anticipated loss of valued places, things, knowledge, and relationships (Cianconi et al., 2020; Clayton, 2020). Conservation professionals who are deeply aware of this loss and tasked with preventing it and who have strong emotional connections to nature might face acute feelings of grief, anxiety, or solastalgia (Boon, 2022; Clayton, 2018; Gordon et al., 2019). (Solastalgia is the “distress that is produced by environmental change [felt by] people while they are directly connected to their home environment” [Albrecht et al., 2007]. )…”

“…For some, these feelings may be exacerbated by the gloom‐and‐doom narrative of hopelessness that Swaisgood and Sheppard (2010) claim is prevalent in some conservation discourse. The causes of this emotion are complex and multifaceted but stem partly from concerns about future outcomes for nature (Boon, 2022; Clayton, 2018; Pienkowski, Keane, et al., 2022). Optimism movements (e.g., Conservation Optimism) have emerged in part to help alleviate the emotional toll of environmental work (de Lange et al., 2022).…”