Terms of empowerment: of conservation or communities?

Abstract

In this era of socially-oriented biodiversity conservation and resource management, practitioners and scholars all too often invoke unclear and imprecise claims of empowerment to describe changing relations between people and resources. Empowerment is an important indicator of conservation success and social transformation. Yet, when scholars and practitioners fail to adequately conceptualize empowerment, they run the risk of undermining the importance of local involvement and capacity building to achieve biodiversity conservation. Here we explore the many ways empowerment has been conceptualized in conservation. We root our commentary in the history of the use of empowerment in conservation from these diverse perspectives. We then present examples of different meanings, measurements and outcomes ascribed to empowerment. We conclude with suggestions for harnessing empowerment for the benefit of conservationists and communities alike. Because empowerment has the potential to improve resource management outcomes and local livelihoods, we recommend building an adaptive empowerment assessment framework to assist with its deployment where it is most needed. Although empowerment goals in conservation can guide practitioners and scholars to engage with communities in transparent, meaningful and lasting ways, conservation needs a critical approach that builds from an appreciation of the nuances underlying the purpose and power of empowerment for conservation.

Perceived influence over marine conservation: Determinants and implications of empowerment

“…This is intrinsically valuable and instrumental in achieving international commitments; these consistently call for the empowerment of those less privileged (e.g., SDG 5 focuses on women empowerment for gender equality and empowerment of small-scale fishers is essential for food security and poverty alleviation; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2015). Despite its policy and conservation relevance, empowerment is often merely a "buzzword" with unclear and imprecise claims (Petriello et al, 2020). By identifying conditions that might facilitate psychological empowerment towards conservation, including gender considerations, we obtained insights that are essential for assessing conservation feasibility, facilitating engagement, and guiding policy implementation.…”

“…As we are about to enter the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), critical approaches from the social sciences are needed for advancing the sustainable use and conservation of the oceans (Bennett, 2019). Empowerment has been often stated as a goal of community-based initiatives but few have critically analyzed its determinants and implications, with a recent call for the use of locally-defined and goal-focused empowerment applications in conservation (Petriello et al, 2020). Importantly, potential trade-offs between different dimensions of empowerment and specific conservation outcomes should be assessed.…”

“…Attaining development and conservation goals (e.g., SDGs and CBD) requires focusing on empowerment and equity concerns, while considering trade-offs (Klein, McKinnon, Wright, Possingham, & Halpern, 2015). Yet, an uncritical approach to empowerment might oversimplify this complex social concept and undermine meaningful engagement (Petriello et al, 2020), with implications at all scales from project development to policy implementation. Similarly to what is currently being done in this data-poor study region, by critically assessing and facilitating empowerment among actors (e.g., resource users, nongovernmental environmental staff, civil society), we will promote involvement of diverse stakeholders working towards common visions and ultimately promote the co-development of strategies; this is crucial for achieving long-term sustainability.…”

“…Within conservation, empowerment remains a generally unclear and imprecise claim (Petriello et al, 2020). This concept is, however, widely used in the social sciences literature and is generally perceived as a multidimensional enabling process to enhance the abilities of people to influence processes affecting their lives; related outcomes include improved autonomy, decision making, and advocacy skills (Koberg, Boss, Senjem, & Goodman, 1999).…”

“…This concept is, however, widely used in the social sciences literature and is generally perceived as a multidimensional enabling process to enhance the abilities of people to influence processes affecting their lives; related outcomes include improved autonomy, decision making, and advocacy skills (Koberg, Boss, Senjem, & Goodman, 1999). While empowerment can incorporate a wide range of dimensions, such as economic, political, and organizational (for detailed discussions about definitions and indicators, see Ibrahim and Alkire (2007) and Petriello et al (2020)), psychological empowerment is particularly important, but often given less attention in community development initiatives (Alsop, Bertelsen, & Holland, 2006). Research on psychological empowerment recognizes the importance of motivational contexts, since the capacity of individuals to make different choices requires a change in their psychological assets (e.g., capacity to envisage change; Alsop et al, 2006).…”