In this paper, the authors conceptualize community-based conservation (CBC) strategy as an entry mode strategy for conservation organizations and theoretically propose a model for this strategy’s influence on community adoptions of conservation behaviors.
With a comprehensive literature review, the authors uncover the current knowledge on CBC outcomes, CBC moderators and CBC success mechanisms. The authors provide arguments for why CBC should be considered as an entry mode strategy, then employ institutional theory along with transformational learning theory to develop a conceptual model of CBC, community adoptions of conservation behaviors and the mediator and moderators of this relationship.
The literature review revealed that (1) there is a lack of a framework of understanding for the CBC strategy and (2) mixed results in CBC success across the world, indicating a need to consider mediations and moderations to CBC success. The authors therefore conceptualize CBC as an entry mode for conservation organizations and advance a model where organizational legitimacy mediates the link between CBC and community adoptions of conservation behaviors. Employing institutional theory, local knowledge incorporation is proposed to moderate the link between CBC and legitimacy. Employing transformational learning theory, the authors propose that capacity building and environmental education moderates the link between legitimacy and community adoptions of conservation behaviors.
This paper bridges the fields of international marketing and environmental conservation by making the case for CBC to be considered as an entry mode strategy for conservation organizations. This paper further extends the literature on entry modes into the realm of non-profit and nongovernmental organizations.
