Leading by listening, learning by doing: modeling democratic approaches to conservation leadership in graduate education

Conservation professionals are increasingly called on to adopt democratic approaches that integrate public concerns and diverse societal voices yet are not taught how to do so. We use a case study approach to analyze a 3-year graduate learning initiative piloted in Mexico by Universidad Veracruzana and the University of Florida that sought to fill this gap. Two team-taught courses were integrated with multiple field and on-campus experiences (e.g., stakeholder simulations, community dissemination events, scholar-practitioner workshops, a student exchange forum), pedagogically modeling the collaborative leadership needed to address current conservation challenges. Our analysis highlights individual student and institutional impacts, drawing on systematic reflections, an external evaluation, and a student survey administered 3 years after the initiative ended. Through methodical learning opportunities, students incrementally and systematically developed skills and confidence. Their conceptualization of leadership shifted as they preferentially referred to themselves as agents of change (versus leaders), working across disciplines and collectively with multiple social actors. Students highlighted the following learning impacts: the strength of diversity across disciplines and individuals, individual and collective learning, intertwined professional and personal growth, and a new concept of conservation leadership. The university-to-university collaboration continues through multiple joint activities. Maintaining institutional support and instigating administrative change toward a democratization of educational processes is a slow and delicate proposition, yet it occurred. Finally, we emphasize integration of training to manage conflict and collaboration into conservation education as well as constant reflection to appropriately redirect programs.