Module 4: Social Research

An on-line resource for practitioners

About this course

Conservation, especially in snow leopard landscapes, occurs at the interface of humans and wildlife. To find workable solutions to complex environmental issues, understanding people and how they interact with the landscape is crucial. This course provides a brief introduction to social science theory and methods for conservation practitioners and researchers. It equips participants to ask appropriate research questions and design a study. We also introduce participants to key literature that can help them better appreciate the nuances of social research.

This course was conducted live through on-line sessions with Snow Leopard Network participants in October 2020. The training took place over 4 sessions (each 2 hour). The recordings from this live training are now available below. Do follow the outlined structure of the course as each session builds on each other. In total the course consists of 8 hours of video presentation and discussion. If you have any questions about the course or accessing the reading material please contact us.

Session 1 | Introduction to Social Research

- - What is social research (in the context of conservation)?
  - Why do social research?

Session 2 | Research Methodology and Study Design

- - How to ask the right questions?
  - How to sample adequately?

Session 3 | Study Design and Data Collection

- - Research bias and triangulation
  - What information to record and how?
  - Designing a questionniare
  - Ethics of social research

Session 4 | Data Analysis

- - How to record the information?
  - Content analysis using Taguete software
  - How to represent data?

Meet the Trainers

Dr. Saloni Bhatia is an interdisciplinary researcher who has been working in the high-altitude landscapes, first on policy and later, on research issues for close to a decade. She is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Centre for Technology Alternatives in Rural Areas (IIT-Bombay). She works primarily on the interface between people and wild animals. She completed her PhD from Manipal University and MSc. from University of Oxford.

Dr. Ranjini Murali is the Conservation Scientist at the Snow Leopard Trust. As a part of her role she supports research and conservation work across the snow leopard range. She is also a research associate with the Nature Conservation Foundation and a visiting faculty with the Azim Premji University. She is a Fellow with the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) on the values assessment that assesses the multiple values that humans have for nature. She completed her PhD from Manipal University and her MSc. from the University of St. Andrews.

I am currently working on the conservation of snow leopards through strengthening
local institutions. This course really helped me to understand social research at a deeper level and it also explains the complexities of human-nature interactions. The course highlights ways to deal with sensitive human issue while studying and doing research on wildlife and conservation.

Dolma Lama, Nepal

I have been working in snow leopard conservation for over two decades now focusing resolving human-wildlife conflicts in Pakistan. This course will help me conduct my research more effectively. I enjoyed the course and the exchange of knowledge and experiences from across the world. The stories of so many working tirelessly has given me even greater resolve to continue my own work.

Ghulam, Pakistan

Session 1: Introduction to Social Research

As preparation for this session please refer to the following publications:

- - Adams, W.M., Aveling, R., Brockington, D., Dickson, B., Elliott, J., Hutton, J., Roe, D., Vira, B. and Wolmer, W., 2004. Biodiversity conservation and the eradication of poverty. science, 306(5699), pp.1146-1149.
  - Huber, T., 2012. The changing role of hunting and wildlife in pastoral communities of Northern Tibet. In Pastoral practices in High Asia (pp. 195-215). Springer, Dordrecht.
  - Newing, H., Eagle, C.M., Puri, R.K. and Watson, C.W., 2011. Conducting research in conservation: a social perspective. Rotledge, London and New York.

Part 1: What is social research?

Part 2: Why do social research?

Session 2: Research Methodology and Study Design

As preparation for this session please refer to the following publication:

- - Kiik, L., 2018. Conservationland: Toward the anthropology of professionals in global nature conservation. Critique of Anthropology, 39(4), pp.391-419.

Part 1: How to ask the right questions?

Part 2: How to sample adequately?

Session 3: Study Design and Data Collection

As preparation for this session please refer to the following publication:

- - Nyumba, T., Wilson, K., Derrick, C.J. and Mukherjee, N., 2018. The use of focus group discussion methodology: Insights from two decades of application in conservation. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(1), pp.20-32.
  - Rust, N.A., Abrams, A., Challender, D.W., Chapron, G., Ghoddousi, A., Glikman, J.A., Gowan, C.H., Hughes, C., Rastogi, A., Said, A. and Sutton, A., 2017. Quantity does not always mean quality: the importance of qualitative social science in conservation research. Society & Natural Resources, 30(10), pp.1304-1310.
  - Young, J.C., Rose, D.C., Mumby, H.S., Benitez‐Capistros, F., Derrick, C.J., Finch, T., Garcia, C., Home, C., Marwaha, E., Morgans, C. and Parkinson, S., 2018. A methodological guide to using and reporting on interviews in conservation science research. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(1), pp.10-19.

Part 1: Research bias and triangulation

Part 2: What information to record and how?

Part 3: Designing a questionniare

Part 4: Ethics of social research

Session 4: Data Analysis

As preparation for this session please refer to the following publication:

- - Leavy, P. ed., 2014. The Oxford handbook of qualitative research. Oxford University Press, USA.
  - Saldaña, J., 2015. The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.