Interactive Deep Maps and Spatial Narratives for Landscape Conservation and Public Engagement

Abstract

Landscape conservation science and practice has increasingly embraced a “people and nature” paradigm that recognizes the dynamic complexity and bidirectional relationships in social-ecological systems. Conservation research remains heavily biased toward the ecological dimensions of conservation, with socially focused research taking up a relatively small fraction. The digital revolution and accompanying geospatial web inspired platforms and methods that provide a significant opportunity for closing this divide. This article focuses on potential contributions to conservation science and practices from one such integrative platform—interactive deep maps and their resulting spatial narratives— that digitally combine the qualitative and experiential essence(s) of place with the quantitative capabilities of Cartesian space. By critically exploring emerging work, we propose that interactive deep maps and spatial narratives are uniquely positioned for integrating social and ecological dimensions of place-based conservation by linking the lived experiences of people with the spatially represented ecological characteristics of nature.