As environmental crises intensify, conservation must integrate not only ecosystems and disciplines but also cultures, institutions, and epistemologies. Conservation social science plays a pivotal role in navigating the complex intersections of science, policy, and society. Over the past two decades—alongside the rise of the Society for Conservation Biology’s Social Science Working Group (SSWG)—this field has grown into a robust, interdisciplinary community shaping global conservation thought and practice.

This workshop builds on that legacy to explore how conservation social science informs the governance of nature, people, and place across scales and cultures. Presentations will examine stakeholder engagement, co-production of knowledge, social impact assessment, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the integration of equity and well-being into conservation policy. Drawing from the 2025 Trends and Future Directions in Social Science special issue in Conservation Biology, the session will assess the mainstreaming of social science in conservation institutions while addressing persistent challenges: power asymmetries, epistemological tensions, colonial legacies, underrepresentation from the Global South, and unequal access to knowledge.

Looking ahead, we emphasize training and empowering new generations of conservation social scientists who can translate across scientific, policy, and societal domains with cultural competence and ethical sensitivity. Through dialogue on participatory methods, transparency, and collaboration, this symposium invites reflection on how to institutionalize inclusive and reflexive standards. We ask: What could conservation social science look like in 20 years if guided by justice, integrity, and global inclusion?