It’s not just about the cash: The impact of conservation-based employment on human well-being

Abstract

Employment is a sought-after conservation-based benefit. The national Environmental Monitor (EM) programme was established in 2013 to address challenges of unemployment and biodiversity conservation adjacent to and inside South African protected areas (PAs). We used qualitative and quantitative methods to interview 109 EMs working in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, an area encompassing 72 PAs including the Kruger National Park, to document the positive and negative, tangible and intangible impacts of their jobs at an individual, family and community level. We recorded an extensive list of material (e.g. monetary income, improved health and shelter) and psychological well-being impacts (improved self-esteem, empowerment and personal image). Our findings highlight the role of learning new things and having positive social connections in the workplace. We suggest that positive workplace well-being is important for organisational sustainability in the conservation sector and has a role to play in reducing wildlife crime.

Conservation implications: Understanding workplace well-being in the conservation sector is important not only for ensuring benefit flow by facilitating personal, family and community well-being, but also for enhancing productivity through increased performance and organisational citizenship behaviour. These findings have direct implications for people and wildlife globally in the context of increasing pressure for PAs to demonstrate their societal contributions, while financial resources for PA management decrease and the illegal use of wildlife inside parks is increasingly becoming a threat to both biodiversity and people.