Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Conservation

Major Advisor:
Dr. Jill Belsky, 406-243-4958, Science Complex/Clapp Building 465

As resource conservation is increasingly recognized as a social enterprise – managing natural resources involves managing people – there is a growing need for resource managers who understand social dynamics. The Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Conservation track prepares students to work in government agencies, non-governmental organizations or continue into specialized graduate programs concerned with the social, economic and cultural factors that influence interactions between society and resource conservation.

Experience around the world suggests that peoples’ livelihoods and ability to be meaningfully involved in conservation planning and practices are critical components of the “social” dimension of environmental conservation. Sustainable livelihoods refer to ways of making a living that maintain or enhance the social and environmental assets in which livelihoods depend, and are able to adapt to dynamic change. Communities and community-based organizations around the world are playing leading roles in collectively managing natural resources that contribute to sustainable livelihoods and, by extension, to sustainable environments. Coursework in this track combines training in critical analytical skills and practical tools being used around the world to foster sustainable livelihoods and participatory, community-based conservation.

Recommended Courses

EVST U225	Community & Environment
EVST UG 450	Food, Agriculture and Environment
FOR US 474	Sociology of Environment and Development
FOR 473	Collaboration in Natural Resources Decisions
FOR 424	Community Forestry & Conservation

For exceptional field-based courses in this track, see “Landscape and Livelihood” offered by Northwest Connections, a community-based conservation and education center located in the upper Swan Valley, Montana. “Landscape and Livelihood” immerses a small group of students in an intensive two-month program focusing on ecology and community-based conservation. Students learn experientially as they study the landscape of the Swan Valley and interact closely with the human community it supports. NwC’s instructional philosophy emphasizes participation in conservation projects as a means of developing field skills. Students also work closely with local citizens and land managers to understand the relationship of environmental issues to rural communities. Everyone also has a lot of fun!

For further information and registration: http://www.northwestconnections.org/landscape.htm

Of Related Interest

SOC U270	Introduction to Rural and Environmental Change
SOC U220	Race, Gender and Class
SOC UG 322	Sociology of Poverty
SOC UG 340	The Community
SOC 370S	Social Change and Global Development
SOC 470	Society & Environment
GEOG UG 468	Community and Regional Analysis
EVST UG 477	Environmental Justice Issues and Solutions