AB
Canada
Many wildlife professionals conduct field work on public or private land. Knowing how and when to engage with private landowners, lease holders, and other stakeholders is important for research success. Building relationships with other land users facilitates the collection of robust scientific data, as well as increasing local support for research projects. Between the three of them, our facilitators have worked with different communities across Alberta and have successfully integrated working with communities in their research in different ways. This workshop will explore how and when to approach landowners and leaseholders, understanding the legalities and ethics behind working with communities, how to build relationships with communities that last beyond the initial research project, participatory and engagement methods, and lessons learned. The workshop will close with thoughts on long-term outcomes and how this work can contribute to management and research protocol changes.
Participants will leave the workshop with an understanding of how to approach and work with landowners and leaseholders. Participants will also leave with a field work preparation checklist to ensure their work builds productive relationships before they head out into the field.