Can games help us to understand and manage conservation conflicts?

A workshop at the Grimsö Wildlife Research Station in Sweden discussed the role games might play in tackling conservation conflicts.

Aidan on March 31, 2017

Photo credit: Aidan Keane

Author: Zac Baynham-Herd

Aidan Keane, Zac Baynham-Herd and Chris Pollard participated in a four-day workshop focused on conservation conflicts and… games! The group of a dozen researchers from various backgrounds (but united by their passion for games) came together between the 27th – 31st March at Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, part of SLU (the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences). The workshop focused on understanding the various ways in which games can be used in conservation conflict research and management, from game-theoretical models, to experiments and role-playing games.

The meeting was convened by Prof. Steven Redpath, who in his role as King Carl XVI Professor (2016/2017) is holding series of workshops exploring new approaches to understanding and managing conservation conflicts. In between presenting, debating and writing, the group still found time to enjoy the remote Swedish countryside, and the local population of Eurasian Cranes in particular.