Masculinities in Conservation Science, Policy and Practice: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Conservation Letters, vol. 19

Abstract

ABSTRACT Gender equality is a key target for conservation but is often treated as a women's issue with limited attention to the roles of men and masculinities in perpetuating unequal gender relations. This paper provides a qualitative systematic review of academic literature on “masculinities”—actions, norms, and values associated with men—in the conservation sector and synthesizes the reported effects of masculinities on conservation science, policy, and practice. We adopt a performative and intersectionality‐inspired approach, recognizing that masculinities may be performed by men, women, nonbinary, and gender‐diverse people, and that gender interacts with other dimensions of identity such as race, age, and (dis)ability. We found that the current literature primarily reports conservation masculinities performed by White men in Global North and settler‐colonial contexts. The most common actions and norms were the exercise of control/authority, rationalism, and strength, and the most common effects were the marginalization of others, prioritization of natural sciences over other knowledge, and support for policies such as protected areas and militarization. Explicitly addressing the dominance of such masculinities, as well as the conditions through which their dominance is enabled and rewarded, may contribute towards gender equality and to more just and effective forms of conservation.

Authors 13

1. Simon West corresponding

   Australian National University · Stockholm Resilience Centre · Stockholm University · Charles Darwin University

   Affiliation as printed

   Crawford School of Public Policy The Australian National University Canberra Australia

   Northern Institute Charles Darwin University Darwin Australia

   Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden

2. Oliver Lilford

   Australian National University

   Affiliation as printed

   Crawford School of Public Policy The Australian National University Canberra Australia

3. Vanessa A Masterson

   Stockholm Resilience Centre · Stockholm University · Rhodes University

   Affiliation as printed

   Anthropology Department Rhodes University Makhanda South Africa

   Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden

4. Emmeline Laszlo Ambjörnsson

   Uppsala University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Human Geography Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden

5. Beau Austin

   Australian National University

   Affiliation as printed

   Crawford School of Public Policy The Australian National University Canberra Australia

6. Bram Büscher

   University of Johannesburg · Stellenbosch University · Wageningen University & Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Geography University of Johannesburg Johannesburg South Africa

   Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa

   Sociology of Development and Change Group Wageningen University Wageningen Netherlands

7. Laura‐Bethia Campbell

   Stockholm Resilience Centre · Stockholm University

   Affiliation as printed

   Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden

8. Marnie Graham

   University of Johannesburg · Macquarie University

   Affiliation as printed

   Geography and Planning Macquarie University Sydney Australia

   School of Tourism and Hospitality University of Johannesburg Johannesburg South Africa

9. Kuntala Lahiri‐Dutt

   Australian National University

   Affiliation as printed

   Crawford School of Public Policy The Australian National University Canberra Australia

10. Lisen Schultz

    Stockholm Resilience Centre · Stockholm University

    Affiliation as printed

    Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden

11. Marja J. Spierenburg Aachen Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology Leiden University Leiden Netherlands

    Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology Leiden University Leiden Netherlands

12. Grace Wong

    Stockholm Resilience Centre · Stockholm University · Research Institute for Humanity and Nature

    Affiliation as printed

    Research Institute for Humanity and Nature Kyoto Japan

    Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden

13. Carina A. Wyborn

    Australian National University

    Affiliation as printed

    Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australia