The Human Dimensions Subcommittee of NABCI grew out of the rising interest among many conservation partners in integrating the science and tools of human dimensions into the business of bird conservation. Its work aims to enable bird conservation partners to do just that by:
- Building social science capacity in the world of bird conservation;
- Developing an understanding, through social science, of how to support birdwatchers, natural resource managers, and other key audiences interested in bird conservation;
- Working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Human Dimensions and other partners, to provide resources and trainings to strengthen the social science capacity of bird organizations;
- Collaborating with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and other partners to survey hunters, birdwatchers, and the public to better understand their contributions and interests related to bird conservation.
What is human dimensions? Human dimensions (HD) is a field of study that applies the social sciences to examine research questions that have implications for wildlife conservation efforts. Read more about The Human Dimensions of Bird Conservation in NABCI’s All Bird Bulletin.
The Human Dimensions Subcommittee of NABCI grew out of a workshop (Exploring the Human Dimensions of Bird Conservation) hosted by the U.S. NABCI Committee in the Spring of 2013. This workshop brought together human dimensions research experts, who vary in their theoretical approaches, with agency leaders, who use human dimensions information to achieve their conservation goals. The insights from that workshop were documented in an All Bird Bulletin issue (Spring 2013).
The Human Dimensions Subcommittee is guided by their 2017-2018 Work Plan, which was approved at the August 2017 NABCI meeting.
Projects, Products and Resources
- November 2023 (new!): A Guide to Incorporating Social Science in Bird Conservation – Resource for organizations and professionals to more readily and efficiently incorporate human dimension perspectives and conservation social science actions into existing strategies and plans.
- August 2021: Five Game-Changing Paradigms: A NABCI Call to Action to Address the Three Billion Birds Crisis
- August 2020: Webinar: Social Science Perspectives on Ethno-racial Diversity in Wildlife Viewing and Conservation – Jonathan Rutter
- December 2019: Human Dimensions of Bird Conservation Webinar: Why Values Matter in the World of Bird Conservation – Dr. Alia Dietsch
- May 2019: Incorporating Human Dimensions into Joint Venture Implementation Plans
- 2019: Landowners and the Conservation Reserve Program: Understanding motivations and needs to cultivate participation, retention, and ongoing stewardship behavior among landowners
- September 2018: Human Dimensions Success Stories & Story Map – Stories that showcase the breadth and depth of social science integration within the bird conservation community.
- Understanding Humans to Conserve Birds– One-pager that defines HD, explains how and why HD can be used to benefit birds, and provides an example of how using HD research dramatically increased the effectiveness of a bird conservation project.
- North American Waterfowl Management Plan Human Dimensions Survey
- National Social Science Coordinator – Building social science capacity has been identified as a critical need by multiple bird conservation partnerships, thus the subcommittee created and fundraised for a National Social Science Coordinator position. Ashley Gramza held this role from January 2017-August 2018.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Human Dimensions
- Society for Conservation Biology Social Science Working Group
Leadership
Tammy VerCauteren, Chair
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Katie Holland, Co-Chair
National Bird Conservation Social Science Coordinator/Virginia Tech