Toward a participatory and adaptive ecology of biodiversity conservation

Conservation biology emphasizes, with good reason, the harmful impacts of human activity but often extends the same antagonism to novel, potentially beneficial biodiversity that also arises through human involvement. This asymmetry is rooted in a pervasive nature/culture dualism that affords ecological value primarily to processes considered “natural.” Such a framing constrains conservation’s ability to engage productively with adaptive cultural and societal processes that could support global efforts to prevent extinction under rapid environmental change. Using gardens as an example, we illustrate how cultural processes can accelerate opportunities for species persistence, facilitate assisted movement under climate change, and foster adaptive dynamics, whilst taking into account potential ecological risks. Integrating human-mediated and human-dependent processes expands conservation’s opportunity space for buffering the many ecological uncertainties ahead and highlights how societal participation can help reduce net extinction rates.