Integrating space, time, and culture in animal conservation practice

Recent theoretical integration of the spatiotemporal and cultural elements of animal behavior has led to increasing calls to incorporate animal culture into conservation. Implementation of this idea remains sparse due to disconnects between the theoretical concept of considering culture in animal conservation and the spatiotemporal approaches typically employed in conservation practice. Here we propose that this gap can be bridged by (1) clarifying that spatiotemporal conservation interventions inherently interact with culture regardless of whether this connection is acknowledged; and (2) strategically considering feasible “entry points” for considering animal culture in conservation practice. Recent advances in dynamic management strategies indicate the capacity for modern conservation approaches to integrate additional dimensions of animal behavior, and could serve as a particularly fruitful space for considering culture. Drawing on instructive examples from cetaceans, we examine instances where protection in space and time can facilitate the conservation of culture, and where focusing on conserving culturally distinct groups can yield protection in space and time. Human interventions that explicitly consider these interwoven dimensions in practice are achievable and can enable more holistic protections for diverse taxa.