Abstract 189 – Tracing the Social Network of an Umbrella Species: Uncovering Communication Dynamics to Inform Grizzly Bear Conservation and Management

Courtney Hughes, Andrea Morehouse, Devin Holterman, Hannah Rasker

The ways people organize in social networks to share information and influence behaviours is a
fundamental aspect of conservation and management. Social network analysis is a tool that
allows us to understand these networks and the information exchange within them. Leveraging
this information can help design, implement, and evaluate conservation efforts. Our project
proposes to understand the social network for grizzly bears – a charismatic species that elicits
varying opinions, given that differing values can lead to governance and policy challenges,
rendering conservation efforts difficult to successfully implement. Understanding the social
network of conservation researchers and practitioners will help inform and enhance grizzly bear
conservation and management throughout its range, from Yellowstone to the Yukon. Our
overall objective is to understand how people organize, share information, and influence
behaviour change related to grizzly bear conservation with an additional emphasis on human-
bear conflicts. This information can help implement more successful conservation,
management, and policy interventions. Our results will identify ways to leverage, strengthen
and mobilize the social network for grizzly bears. This includes informing engagement strategies
that identify key players in grizzly bear conservation/management, and areas of disconnect
and/or knowledge gaps; measuring diversity of expertise and skills within and across the
network; encouraging inclusivity and interconnectedness to optimize information sharing; and,
identifying communication channels and areas requiring knowledge transfer and transitions.
Further, these data can help build skills and capacity for organizations to successfully
participate in grizzly bear conflict reduction.ear conflict reduction.