While ecological and biophysical sciences have dominated the theory and practice of conservation, practitioners and researchers worldwide know that conservation initiatives have profound social impacts and consequences for local communities and cultures. This concise and accessible book will give students and practitioners a solid introduction to important methods from ethnography and interviews to surveys and community mapping, always attending to the imperatives of local control and community partnerships.

"This book can help frame questions and approaches one would take to explore conservation from the social perspective, and to understand how our ecological inquiry can mesh with the needs of human communities to create effective conservation programs. Perhaps this book may help bridge the gap between social scientists and ecologists who are both working towards biodiversity conservation." - Ecology

"It is an ambitious project, and one that rewards the reader with useful and insightful tidbits." - Development and Change

"A unique book tailored to encouraging better social science research for community-based conservation projects . . . provides 'operational guidance' for improving community-based conservation projects; just what practitioners have long clamored for. . . . The authors do a tremendous job of making the literature on resource management, program design and evaluation, social research techniques, and regional studies accessible to field workers and students." - CHOICE, January 2004, Vol. 41, No. 5