Publication

Large-scale conservation in the common interest requires that people be clear about the nature of the problems they face, the utility of the theory or assumptions they employ, and the features of the situation they try to manage. This chapter introduces ideas and language for realistically conceptualizing problems in large-scale conservation, and it presents a framework for making sense of the human as well as biophysical dimensions in natural resource management. Three types of problems are described-technical (ordinary), governance (political), and constitutive (cultural); too often in large-scale conservation governance and constitutive problems are overlooked, misconstrued, or inadequately heeded. Large-scale conservation also requires integrating information into a rational, yet practical, framework for decision making. The framework presented here to understand and carry out the integration task can be most simply stated as "humans seek values through institutions using and affecting resources." These four vital elements of management and policy making-humans, values, institutions, and resources-all of which are open for empirical, systematic study, are described. Skillful application of this three-level problem typology and framework can enable practitioners to analyze the full suite of problems and develop realistic solutions.