Navigating scale and interdisciplinary dynamics in conservation social science

Abstract

To better understand and address global human–environment crises, interdisciplinary collaborations across the natural and social sciences have become increasingly common in conservation. Within such collaborations, the question of scale can cause tensions: how to agree on the unit of measurement and analysis? We contend there is value in scrutinizing the relationship between interdisciplinarity and scale more closely. Drawing on 2 research projects in Indonesia that integrate cultural anthropology and conservation biology, we focused on how these collaborations navigated questions of scale. We sought to illustrate that the relationship between interdisciplinarity and scale choices should be understood as situated in the context of the accelerating drive to scale up conservation science and practice impact. Current conservation discourse around scale deeply affects 3 interconnected factors: ethical and strategic considerations, epistemological parity, and institutional structures. However, interdisciplinary efforts can engage these factors in different ways that have implications for how research unfolds and responds to the push to scale up conservation. To cultivate more robust and resilient interdisciplinary collaborations between the natural and the social sciences, we recommend centering reflexive practices, recognizing the value of rescaling methods and goals, and reforming funding structures.