Modern conservation is often as much about working with people as working with wildlife. With long experience of facilitation and negotiation, we appreciate the need to bring a patient, unbiased and common sense approach to solving problems. For conservation projects to be successful they need support from a broad base, not least from local people. Large projects usually involve partnership working, requiring team-working skills and often demanding engaging with many organisations from differing backgrounds. At Footprint Ecology we understand that there is usually a need to work with these varied interests to achieve our client’s objectives in the most cost effective and sustainable way.
Our first step is to discuss, and thoroughly understand, the brief with the client and the degree to which wider engagement is desirable. Our broad experience of this issue means that we can usually offer advice and examples at this stage. We seek consensus with the relevant stakehoders and interested parties using targeted questions and through a variety of methods such as workshops and local 'drop-in' events.
Examples of our work in these areas include options appraisals for site mangement, grazing issues on commons and strategic review of future priorities for research on bird conservation and access.