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Contribution short abstract

The poster reflects on the political stance of researchers, particularly how frameworks, methods, and participant choices shape the stories we tell about people–nature relationships. It draws on work in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to support more inclusive conservation.

Contribution long abstract

Amid accelerating biodiversity loss and declining human well-being, people relate to nature in highly diverse ways. Evidence-based narratives that guide conservation policy and practice depend on researchers recognizing how nature contributes to human well-being and the plural values people ascribe to it. Yet, the stories we as researchers tell about people–nature relationships are conditioned by the methodological choices that structure our work. Decisions about how we study these relationships—the dimensions and frameworks we select, the methods we use for data collection and analysis, and the participants we include or exclude—shape what becomes visible, whose perspectives are centred, and which forms of knowledge remain obscured.

Drawing on a study with four social actor groups in the social–ecological system of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, it reflects on how research design can broaden or narrow understandings of the spectrum of people–nature relationships. Through this reflection, the poster highlights risks such as the omission of important knowledge, the reproduction of stereotypes, and the unintentional reinforcement of dominant conservation narratives.

Methodological choices do not necessarily lead to “wrong” stories, but they risk generating incomplete ones. By foregrounding the political nature of research choices, the poster encourages conservation researchers to more deliberately consider how their frameworks, methods, and sampling decisions influence the narratives that inform policy and practice. In doing so, it aims to support more inclusive and place-based conservation approaches that better reflect the plurality of people–nature relationships both between and within social actor groups.