What Is Pathways?

Pathways is an international conference and training program designed to address the myriad issues that arise as people and wildlife struggle to coexist in a sustainable manner. Our team believes that through increasing the professionalism and effectiveness of the Human Dimensions of Wildlife field, we can contribute to the success of the global conservation effort as a whole. 

By bringing together wildlife conservationists and interested members of the public from around the globe for three days of high-quality presentations, keynotes, networking and trainings, Pathways helps spread critical research and findings among the scientific community while creating new avenues for professional development, collaboration and learning.

Pathways was founded in 2008 by Prof. Michael Manfredo (Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University) and Prof. Jerry Vaske (Retired, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University). Click here to learn more about the history of Pathways!

What is “Human Dimensions”?

The Field of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources (“HD”) focuses on understanding and attending to the needs of humans, human society and culture as they relate to, value, use and depend on the natural environment. HD is interdisciplinary, employing a mix of social sciences alongside fields such as ecology and biology to address questions in areas like wildlife management, conservation, national parks management, natural resource-based tourism, and environmental education. Globally, HD-based strategies help researchers and practitioners solve issues relating to human-wildlife conflict, wildlife conservation and management, resource usage, visitor experience, energy and industrial development, natural resource-based tourism, and more. Human Dimensions of Wildlife focuses specifically on how humans value wildlife, want wildlife to be managed and how they are impacted by wildlife management decisions.