Conducting Research in Conservation: A Social Science Perspec-

Conducting Research in Conservation: A Social Science Perspec-tive/Social Science Methods and Practice, H. Newing with Contri-butions of C.M. Eagle, R.K. Puri, C.W. Watson. Routledge (2011).xxii+376 pp., Paperback, ISBN: 978-0-415-45792-7, $49.95Conservation is increasingly as much about people as it is aboutwildlife. However, most professionals working in conservationhave, like this author, a natural science background. Respondingto this discrepancy, Conducting Research in Conservation aims at:‘providing conservationists with a substantive introduction to theprinciples and practise of social science research’. Although notexplicitly mentioned, but given the frequent reference to exampleswith research students, the prime target group seems to be stu-dents in Conservation Biology. Spending much time on socially-oriented research, I deplore not having had this book earlier. Thisis not to say that the present work is the first of its kind: a decadeago, the more popular Groundwork for Community-based Conserva-tion was published (Russell and Harshbarger, 2003). Yet ConductingResearch in Conservation offers a far deeper understanding of theprinciples of social research in conservation.Well written and structured, the 18 chapters are divided intofive sections: (i) Planning a research project (including a chapteron sampling); (ii) Methods (including chapters on qualitativeinterviews, questionnaires and PRA); (iii) Fieldwork with localcommunities (including ethical issues); (iv) Data processing andanalysis (including statistics); (v) Writing up, dissemination andfollow-up. The book comprises an impressive 165 boxes with keyterms, instructions and examples drawn from all continents, bothindustrialized and rural situations. Each chapter ends with a num-bered summary and list of a handful of advised ‘Further Readings’.Lacking is the increasing number of audiovisual aids available onthe internet. Plates and graphics are limited to the chapters on par-ticipatory mapping and statistics.Interdisciplinarity, presented in the introduction as the book’sred thread, is not always detectable in subsequent chapters. Thisholds especially true where conflicts may arise between societaland conservation interests. Having worked in situations withextreme sensitivity to issues of illegality and conflicts (Scholteet al., 1999), the book would have benefited from giving moreattention to the ambiguity in which conservationists working withlocal communities are drawn, e.g. in part iii Fieldwork. The linkageto practical applications could also have been emphasized by refer-ring to the maturing literature on the practice of involving localcommunities in conservation; see for instance the seminal manualon co-management of Borrini-Feyerabend et al. (2004). I wassomewhat confused about the subtitle, which differs betweenthe cover page and page iii, the latter also repeated by the publish-ers’ flyer.These points of criticism notwithstanding, this is a near-perfecttextbook for research-oriented masters in Conservation Biology,most of whom have a module on the human dimensions ofconservation, although especially more junior students may beoverwhelmed by the thorough approach. Also, conservationistsworking on a research project with local communities will find thisbook an essential text. Because of the extensive use of boxes withpractical information and suggested follow-up reading, it is also anexcellent reference to ‘repair’ the many self-made social scienceconservationists.References