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8 years ago in Biology , Environmental Science By Rinku

Should we use the term "Conservation Biology" or "Conservation Sciences"?

I'm drafting the introduction for my dissertation on ecosystem restoration and need to precisely frame my work's disciplinary home. I've noticed journals and departments using both terms, which seems to go beyond mere semantics. I'm curious about the implications for methodology and interdisciplinarity.

 

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By Rani Answered 7 years ago

Having worked at the intersection of policy and ecology, I've seen this debate firsthand. I recommend viewing "Conservation Biology" as the foundational, mission-oriented discipline rooted in biological principles it asks what to conserve and why. "Conservation Sciences" is the broader, synthetic field that explicitly integrates economics, sociology, and geography to answer how. Your choice should signal your primary dialogue partners. For a restoration dissertation, "Sciences" often better captures the necessary pragmatic, cross-disciplinary toolkit.

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