Gendered Considerations for Safety in Conservation Fieldwork

Rinkus, Marisa A.; Kelly, Jonathan; Wright, Wynne; Medina, Laurie Kroshus; Dobson, Tracy

doi:10.1080/08941920.2018.1471177

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The exclusionary legacies of Audubon, Muir, Roosevelt, and Leopold extend outside the U.S. by giving international organizations moral permission to continually exclude and displace global Indigenous and poor communities in the name of conservation ( Kashwan, 2020 , Kashwan, 2017 ). These white men also built conservation spaces that are so exclusionary ( Students of Color Environmental Collective, 2019 ; Subbaraman, 2020 ), that they condone state-sanctioned violence against BIPOC ( Nir, 2020 ; Schell et al, 2020a ), as well as sexual harassment or assault ( Clancy et al, 2014 ; Rinkus et al, 2018 ). Addressing spatiality impacts and barriers requires a paradigmatic and cultural transformation across government, academic, and private institutions, as well as within each level of administration and leadership hierarchies ( Foxx et al, 2019 ; Maas et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentorship, equity, and research productivity: lessons from a pandemic

Nocco

McGill

MacKenzie

et al. 2021

Biological Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The coronavirus pandemic is more fully exposing ubiquitous economic and social inequities that pervade conservation science. In this time of prolonged stress on members of the research community, primary investigators or project leaders (PLs) have a unique opportunity to adapt their programs to jointly create more equitable and productive research environments for their teams. Institutional guidance for PLs pursuing field and laboratory work centers on the physical safety of individuals while in the lab or field, but largely ignores the vast differences in how team members may be experiencing the pandemic. Strains on mental, physical, and emotional health; racial trauma; familial responsibilities; and compulsory productivity resources, such as high-speed internet, quiet work spaces, and support are unequally distributed across team members. The goal of this paper is to summarize the shifting dynamics of leadership and mentorship during the coronavirus pandemic and highlight opportunities for increasing equity in conservation research at the scale of the project team. Here, we (1) describe how the pandemic differentially manifests inequity on project teams, particularly for groups that have been structurally excluded from conservation science, (2) consider equitable career advancement during the coronavirus pandemic, and (3) offer suggestions for PLs to provide mentorship that prioritizes equity and wellbeing during and beyond the pandemic. We aim to support PLs who have power and flexibility in how they manage research, teaching, mentoring, consulting, outreach, and extension activities so that individual team members' needs are met with compassion and attention to equity.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentorship, equity, and research productivity: lessons from a pandemic

Nocco

McGill

MacKenzie

et al. 2021

Biological Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Debriefing provides an important opportunity for participants to reflect on their experiences and receive necessary support (Roguski and Tauri 2013), and (if they so wish) to express and discuss concerns about wellness that arose during fieldwork and offer suggestions for mitigating risks in the future (Rinkus et al . 2018). Debriefing is most effective if systems are in place for addressing concerns, including follow‐up care and the option of formally documenting issues to create institutional memory.…”

Section: Facets Of the Fieldwork Wellness Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Having access to sufficient funds while in the field is critical to researcher safety and well-being (Rinkus et al 2018). Funding for EECB research is often limited and highly competitive, leaving researchers with scarcity mindsets and shoestring budgets (Bakker et al 2010).…”

Section: Address Financial Concernsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fieldwork Wellness Framework: a new approach to field research in ecology

Nordseth

Gerson

Aguilar

et al. 2023

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fieldwork is often an important aspect of research in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology (EECB), but individuals of marginalized identities are likely to experience compromised wellness. The responsibility for structurally changing fieldwork to improve experiences and outcomes falls on the entire EECB community. We propose a Fieldwork Wellness Framework to replace traditional fieldwork approaches, which are hazardous and ill‐suited to today's increasingly diverse EECB community and its goals. The purpose of this Framework is to prevent and manage risk while also promoting holistic well‐being for all field research participants. We outline nine facets of the Framework: acknowledge and address identity, create a code of conduct, promote and practice self‐care, form local connections, use support structures in decision making, host and attend trainings, address financial concerns, enact emergency plans, and debrief. By centering wellness in the planning and performing of fieldwork, EECB can cultivate a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, healthy, and productive community.

show abstract

“…Field plans should consider mental and emotional safety in addition to physical safety, especially for coping with sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) or discrimination, which is not uncommon in field teams. In general, people with different identities (racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, sexual orientation, ability status, religion, or caste), as well as job title (e.g., principle investigator vs. field assistant), may be more or less at risk for SVSH or health issues within the context of a research environment ( 24 , 84 – 88 ). Ideally, field safety plans address SVSH by including procedures for dealing with inappropriate interactions within field teams and between field teams and local communities.…”

Section: Core Principles For Equitable Fieldworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

A set of principles and practical suggestions for equitable fieldwork in biology

Ramírez‐Castañeda

Westeen

Frederick

et al. 2022

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Field biology is an area of research that involves working directly with living organisms in situ through a practice known as “fieldwork.” Conducting fieldwork often requires complex logistical planning within multiregional or multinational teams, interacting with local communities at field sites, and collaborative research led by one or a few of the core team members. However, existing power imbalances stemming from geopolitical history, discrimination, and professional position, among other factors, perpetuate inequities when conducting these research endeavors. After reflecting on our own research programs, we propose four general principles to guide equitable, inclusive, ethical, and safe practices in field biology: be collaborative, be respectful, be legal, and be safe. Although many biologists already structure their field programs around these principles or similar values, executing equitable research practices can prove challenging and requires careful consideration, especially by those in positions with relatively greater privilege. Based on experiences and input from a diverse group of global collaborators, we provide suggestions for action-oriented approaches to make field biology more equitable, with particular attention to how those with greater privilege can contribute. While we acknowledge that not all suggestions will be applicable to every institution or program, we hope that they will generate discussions and provide a baseline for training in proactive, equitable fieldwork practices.

show abstract

Gendered Considerations for Safety in Conservation Fieldwork

Cited by 13 publications

References 24 publications

Mentorship, equity, and research productivity: lessons from a pandemic

Mentorship, equity, and research productivity: lessons from a pandemic

The Fieldwork Wellness Framework: a new approach to field research in ecology

A set of principles and practical suggestions for equitable fieldwork in biology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About