Synergizing social education and soft skills for sustainable development and for addressing emerging challenges in natural resource conservation

The accelerating degradation of natural resources under the combined pressures of climate change, environmental pollution, and unsustainable human activities has intensified calls for more integrative approaches to sustainable development and conservation. In recent years, social education and soft-skills development have been increasingly recognized as critical, yet underexplored, components of sustainability-oriented responses to these emerging challenges. This narrative review examines the theoretical and empirical literature at the intersection of social education, soft skills, sustainable development, and natural resource conservation. Drawing on peer-reviewed journal articles, conceptual frameworks, and review studies published across education, sustainability, and environmental governance disciplines, the review synthesizes current knowledge on how social education and soft skills—such as communication, ethical reasoning, emotional awareness, and social–environmental responsibility—are conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated in sustainability-related contexts. The analysis identifies key themes, including the growing emphasis on transversal competencies for sustainability, the predominance of higher-education-focused interventions, and the increasing advocacy for experiential and community-based learning approaches. However, the review also reveals critical gaps, notably the scarcity of longitudinal and outcome-oriented empirical studies, limited attention to informal and non-formal learning settings, and the absence of standardized, transferable frameworks linking soft-skills development to measurable conservation outcomes. Overall, the reviewed literature suggests that synergizing social education and soft skills holds considerable potential for fostering pro-environmental behaviors, strengthening conservation practices, and supporting resilient and equitable resource governance. Nevertheless, realizing this potential requires more robust empirical evidence, cross-contextual research, and theoretically coherent models to guide implementation and evaluation. The review concludes by recommending future research priorities, including longitudinal and mixed-methods studies, broader cultural and educational scope, and the development of integrated frameworks capable of translating educational interventions into tangible sustainability and conservation impacts.