Lessons from a participatory process to improve the utility of Sense of Place in conservation decision-making: an Australian case study and perspective

Conservation decision-making is increasingly recognised as a social process shaped by values, beliefs, and expectations. Among these, Sense of Place – the emotional and symbolic connections people form with natural environments – has emerged as a critical yet underutilised social value within environmental management. Despite its relevance, Sense of Place remains difficult to integrate into policy due to conceptual ambiguity and challenges in measurement. In this perspective, we reflect on a participatory research process designed to bridge these gaps. Conducted during a clear policy window – the statutory review of the Nature Conservation Act 2014 in the Australian Capital Territory – our approach brought researchers and policymakers together to bridge knowledge gaps and co-develop a simple, policy-friendly survey tool for capturing Sense of Place in practical and cost-effective ways. This participatory process, that focused on informal trust-building and iterative co-design, fostered mutual learning, strengthened institutional understanding of Sense of Place, and offered a flexible, adaptable model for collaboration, while the survey tool itself indicates that Sense of Place can be measured efficiently in a way that is meaningful in policy contexts. Importantly, the survey functioned as a boundary object, bridging research-policy divides, and providing a foundation for future work. We share our process not as a prescriptive template but as a practical example others may adapt to embed Sense of Place in inclusive, place-based conservation strategies.