Short Courses

Pre-conference short courses | Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 March 2023

Several short courses (one-day & half day) are offered to conference delegates before the conference, on 28 and 29 March 2023. These will take place in central Oxford and have limited availability.

Planning for human-wildlife coexistence: linking situation assessment to decision-making

Led by: Dr Silvio Marchini (University of Sao Paulo, IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group; IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group) and Dr Jenny Glikman (Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados; IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group).

Description: The key to turning HWC into large-scale coexistence is good planning. Through a series of practical activities, participants will be exposed to the process of planning for coexistence: how to properly assess the situation, make better decisions based on a sound theory of change, and monitor & evaluate the results.

Date and time: Tuesday 28 March, 9 am – 5 pm

An introduction to facilitation skills for conservation managers

Led by: Jamie Copsey (IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group)

Description: From planning through to the implementation of species conservation projects, managers will have to manage multiple stakeholder needs and interests, concerns and influences. Such navigation requires honing a combination of interpersonal and process-design skills to ‘facilitate’ a way through. In this short course, we introduce the concept of facilitation along with several core facilitation skills. The short course is designed to be a ‘taster’ session for much deeper training in the topic available both online and in person through the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group.

Date and time: Wednesday 29 March, 9 am – 5 pm

Social research methods for assessing and monitoring human-wildlife conflict

Led by: Dr Jenny Glikman (Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados; IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group)

Description: This short course will cover the key elements of designing and implementing a social science research project for human-wildlife conflict projects. It will focus on identifying clear study objectives in order to apply appropriate quantitative or qualitative research methods, including questionnaires and other commonly used survey instruments. After the short course, attendees will be ready to get started with their own social science research and be able to critique existing instruments.

Date and time: Wednesday 29 March, 9am – 12pm

Mapping the risk of human-wildlife conflict

Led by: Dr Jacqueline Morrison (Chester Zoo; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford)

Description: Identifying the spatial and temporal distribution of human-wildlife conflicts, and understanding the ecological and anthropogenic factors that influence them is important to prioritise mitigation for vulnerable species and people. This short course will show participants how to source and process freely available data at regional and global scales, and employ geospatial analysis to map and predict areas at risk. No previous experience required.

Date and time: Wednesday 29 March, 9 am – 12 pm

Social marketing and behaviour change for human-wildlife conflict mitigation projects

Led by: Dr Diogo Verissimo (Oxford Martin School; IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group), Laura Perry (Global Species Survival Center, Indianapolis) and Amy Fitzmaurice (Kent Wildlife Trust; Chester Zoo)

Description: Understanding and influencing human behaviour is key to addressing human-wildlife conflicts. Social marketing focuses on applying concepts and theories originally developed in the business sector to influence people and achieve social good. This short course will use a case study involving tigers and communities in Nepal.

Date and time: Wednesday 29 March, 2 pm – 5 pm

Working with the media on human-wildlife conflict and coexistence issues

Led by: Virat A Singh (IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group)

Description: As the media has the power to change the way people perceive wildlife issues, it is increasingly crucial to have a better understanding of how to engage with it in innovative ways. This short course explores how continuous engagement with the media plays a key role in conservation, focusing on aspects such as crisis communication, media management, and effective usage of social media.

Date and time: Wednesday 29 March, 2 pm – 5 pm

How to design insurance schemes for human-wildlife co-existence

Led by: Paul Steele (Chief Economist, International Institute for Environment and Development) and Barbara Chabbaga (Actuary and Partner, AB Consultants, Kenya)

Description: Insurance offers exciting potential for human-wildlife co-existence. This short course will provide interactive learning on insurance design, drawing from experience in Kenya and Sri Lanka. This will include actuarial expertise on how to design an insurance scheme in your country.

Date and time: Wednesday 29th March, 2 pm – 5 pm