Lindsey Elliot

Enabling Collaboration in Conservation

My research explores practical ways to enable collaboration in the context of nature conservation. It is an interdisciplinary action research project that draws on the management literature, in particular the Theory of Collaborative Advantage, to explore the practice of collaboration in the science-based context of conservation. The research has been inductive and emergent and has combined different methods and forms of data. 

Conservation is a mission-driven, applied science which aims to maintain and improve good relations with nature. Conservation challenges are interconnected across scales, lacking in central control, often irreversible and constantly changing. It is impossible for any single person, organisation or country to tackle these complex issues alone. Collaboration across organisations, disciplines, approaches, sectors and jurisdictions is therefore required, but it is challenging in practice. I am investigating the key forms of difference that conservationists are collaborating across, things like bridging research, policy and practice, accommodating diverse organisational funding models and working across different levels of seniority, and am exploring how collaboration across these forms of difference can be further enabled through adapted governance and innovative incentives.

Another emerging focus of my research is to find ways to collaborate most effectively within rapidly changing contexts and to bring about change. How can collaborative processes accommodate flexibility and agility to maximise their impact and influence? 

By approaching my research in an emergent and iterative way as an active participant, I have been able to focus on the challenges of greatest relevance to participants in my research settings, and to adapt my project to make the most of opportunities that have arisen. I am now analysing the data I collected through this process and am considering the entire experience. I hope that my findings will be of use in conservation while contributing to the management literature, and that their relevance may extend to other contexts that require diverse collaboration to address complexity.   

You can see Lindsey chatting to Daniel about the research in this video.