NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI, 96818, U.S.A.
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, 2 Natural Resources Dr., Little Rock, AR, 72205, U.S.A.
Conserv Biol. 2020 Oct;34(5):1190-1199. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13530. Epub 2020 Jun 27.
Many conservation conflicts are scientifically complex yet are rooted in value conflicts, which result in an impasse. Additional biological information alone is insufficient to resolve this type of conflict. Conceptual models that articulate the material aspects of a system are increasingly used to identify areas where parties disagree. Yet, modeling processes typically follow the conveners' rules for discussing and assessing the topic, which can exacerbate conflict. Researchers have identified a need for processes that require participants to reflect on the limits of their own philosophical assumptions and acknowledge other perspectives. Cultural models are a promising tool for this purpose because they include nonmaterial beliefs, morals, and values that guide people's understanding of how to interact with an issue, sometimes subconsciously. We explored how cultural models used with conceptual models can improve understanding of value conflicts and used outdoor cat management as a case study. We conducted interviews and focus group discussions with wildlife conservation and cat welfare professionals involved in outdoor cat policy discussions in Hawaii and Washington, D.C. From these conversations, we developed a conceptual model of the outdoor cat management system and cultural models that led stakeholders to weigh elements of the conceptual model differently. Although wildlife conservation professionals generally spoke about outdoor cats as invasive species, cat welfare professionals spoke about them as homeless pets. These conflicting conceptualizations of what an outdoor cat is may help explain the root of many long-standing disagreements. Examining how and when stakeholders invoke different cultural models allowed us to identify management actions that work with, rather than challenge, those models. Dialogue that embraces conflicting cultural models can be difficult and uncomfortable, but has great potential to overcome conservation impasse and achieve lasting conservation results.
许多保护冲突在科学上很复杂，但却源于价值冲突，这导致了僵局。仅增加生物学信息不足以解决这种类型的冲突。越来越多的概念模型被用来阐明系统的物质方面，以确定各方存在分歧的领域。然而，建模过程通常遵循召集人讨论和评估主题的规则，这可能会加剧冲突。研究人员已经认识到需要有一种过程，要求参与者反思自己哲学假设的局限性，并承认其他观点。文化模型是实现这一目的的有前途的工具，因为它们包括非物质的信仰、道德和价值观，这些信仰、道德和价值观指导着人们理解如何与一个问题互动，有时是在潜意识层面上。我们探讨了如何使用概念模型来改善对价值冲突的理解，并以户外猫管理为例进行了研究。我们对参与夏威夷和华盛顿特区户外猫政策讨论的野生动物保护和猫福利专业人员进行了访谈和焦点小组讨论。从这些对话中，我们开发了一个户外猫管理系统的概念模型和文化模型，这些模型使利益相关者对概念模型的要素有不同的看法。尽管野生动物保护专业人员通常将户外猫视为入侵物种，但猫福利专业人员则将其视为无家可归的宠物。这种对户外猫的不同概念化可能有助于解释许多长期存在的分歧的根源。研究利益相关者何时以及如何调用不同的文化模型，可以帮助我们确定与这些模型合作而非挑战的管理措施。接受相互冲突的文化模型的对话可能很困难和不舒服，但具有克服保护僵局和实现持久保护成果的巨大潜力。
