Integrating the human dimensions into fish and wildlife management depends on increasing managers’ social science fluency

It is a common experience in human dimensions to hear people say, “wildlife management is people management.” Good people management requires the full integration of the human dimensions into natural resources work. This means going beyond conducting human dimensions research to understanding and applying lessons learned from social science. A key step here is building managers’ fluency in social science concepts so they can more easily relate existing literature to their own practical questions. I use three example issues from human-wildlife conflict – calibrating trust, managing anger, and fostering autonomy – to illustrate how increased fluency in psychology could inform conflict management in the context of larger sociopolitical discourses. I conclude with ideas for how organizations and scientists could help managers build this integrative capacity in order to better achieve a shared objective of a wildlife management profession that works well with people for the good of humans and wildlife.