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Pienkowski T, Keane A, Castelló Y Tickell S, de Lange E, Hazenbosch M, Khanyari M, Arlidge WNS, Baranyi G, Brittain S, Kapoor V, Mohan V, Papworth S, Ravi R, Smit IPJ, Milner-Gulland EJ. Supporting conservationists' mental health through better working conditions. Conserv Biol 2023; 37:e14097. [PMID: 37042093 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity conservation work can be challenging but rewarding, and both aspects have potential consequences for conservationists' mental health. Yet, little is known about patterns of mental health among conservationists and its associated workplace protective and risk factors. A better understanding might help improve working conditions, supporting conservationists' job satisfaction, productivity, and engagement, while reducing costs from staff turnover, absenteeism, and presenteeism. We surveyed 2311 conservation professionals working in 122 countries through an internet survey shared via mailing lists, social media, and other channels. We asked them about experiences of psychological distress, working conditions, and personal characteristics. Over half were from and worked in Europe and North America, and most had a university-level education, were in desk-based academic and practitioner roles, and responded in English. Heavy workload, job demands, and organizational instability were linked to higher distress, but job stability and satisfaction with one's contributions to conservation were associated with lower distress. Respondents with low dispositional and conservation-specific optimism, poor physical health, and limited social support, women, and early-career professionals were most at risk of distress in our sample. Our results flag important risk factors that employers could consider, although further research is needed among groups underrepresented in our sample. Drawing on evidence-based occupational health interventions, we suggest measures that could promote better working conditions and thus may improve conservationists' mental health and abilities to protect nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Pienkowski
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Aidan Keane
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Emiel de Lange
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Munib Khanyari
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India
| | - William N S Arlidge
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gergő Baranyi
- Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Vena Kapoor
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India
| | - Vik Mohan
- Blue Ventures Conservation, Bristol, UK
| | - Sarah Papworth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Roshni Ravi
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India
| | - Izak P J Smit
- Scientific Services Garden Route and Frontier Node, South African National Parks, George, South Africa
- Sustainability Research Unit, Nelson Mandela University, George, South Africa
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