Reimagining Sustainable Field Research: Doing Science Without Doing Harm
ModulesReimagining Sustainable Field Research: Doing Science Without Doing Harm
This micromodule aims to raise awareness about sustainable and ethical field research practices that minimize harm to the environment, wildlife, and local communities.
By the end of this micromodule, participants should be able to:
- Identify basic actions that should be taken to minimize footprints in ecological field research.
- Recognize strategies to reduce environmental impact during fieldwork.
- Reflect on how sustainable and ethical practices can be implemented in field research.
What is this about?
Field research is essential for advancing knowledge of ecosystem processes and functions. However, if not carefully carried out, field research can lead to serious environmental and ethical consequences, including habitat disruption, heightened stress for wildlife, and a decline in biodiversity, suggesting that the way we conduct field research matters as much as the findings themselves.
This micromodule provides practical guidance to minimize these impacts. Learners will explore strategies for safe, inclusive, and responsible field research activities and examine ethical considerations in wildlife research. Through examples and case studies, participants will gain tools to conduct research responsibly while supporting environmental sustainability and ethical standards.Watch & Learn: Minimizing ecological footprints in field research
In ecology, field research aims to understand how ecosystems work, respond, and change. But whether we’re conducting observational surveys or setting up experiments, field activities can unintentionally damage the ecosystems that we want to protect.” This raises a central question of how we can minimize the environmental impact of our fieldwork in accordance with ethical standards. To be able to answer this question, watch the video on “Doing science responsibly: Minimizing ecological footprints in field research” to familiarize yourself with basic actions that can be implemented to minimize the environmental impacts of field research activities. Note down those actions that you find the most relevant to your research.
Reflect on how you can do ecological science responsibly
Based on what you learned from the video, please reflect on your understanding of how ecological field can be performed responsibly by answering the following questions.
Drag and drop the correct action(s) under the corresponding type of sampling
Watch & Learn: Safety, inclusivity, and equity in research fieldwork
Fieldwork can have several environmental consequences related to energy use, habitat disturbance, waste production and methods of sampling. Practicing safe, inclusive, and equitable fieldwork can help reduce these risks and costs. In this session, you will learn about various environmental impacts of research fieldwork and explore practical strategies to reduce their impacts. Watch the video on “Minimising the Environmental Impact of Research Fieldwork” to get acquainted with the ethical challenges of research fieldwork and their mitigating strategies.
Quiz: Safety, inclusivity, and equity in research fieldwork
Based on what you learned from the video, please answer the following questions.
Watch and Learn: Ethical Considerations in Wildlife Ecology Research
Wildlife research can provide important scientific insights into biodiversity conservation, but it also raises ethical concerns regarding animal welfare, ecosystem disruption, and community involvement. As scientists and researchers work to understand animal behaviors and ecosystems, ethical considerations are becoming more critical than ever. In this session, you will learn about key ethical issues that arise in wildlife ecology research. The goal is to help various stakeholders involved in wildlife research integrate ethical thinking into every stage of their work, ensuring that wildlife research advances science while protecting the lives and landscapes it depends on. Watch the video below on "Ethical Issues in Wildlife Ecology Research?” which gives an overview of practical ethical concerns of wildlife research.
Reflect on ethical concerns in wildlife studies and beyond
Using the knowledge acquired in the previous video, gauge your understanding of key ethical issues related to wildlife ecology research.
Final Reflection
Nice work! You have learned strategies for conducting environmentally sustainable fieldwork and responsible ethical wildlife research. Consider how these principles could be applied in your research and fieldwork to reduce harm to the environment, respect local communities, and avoid unintended alteration of the ecosystem. Note that ethical decision-making and sustainable practices are essential for responsible research.
