Conservation conflict is widespread, damaging, and has proved difficult to manage using conventional conservation approaches. Conflicts are often “wicked problems,” lacking clear solutions due to divergent values of stakeholders, and being embedded within wickedly complex environments. Drawing on the concept of wicked environmental problems could lead to management strategies better suited to tackling conflict. However, it is unclear whether managers are embracing ideas from the wicked problems concept. There is currently a lack of guidance for applying strategies to tackle particular wicked problems, such as conservation conflict. We explored the suitability of wicked problems‐inspired management, using eight contemporary conflict case studies. Conservation conflict was managed predominantly using conventional approaches suited to tackling single objectives in simple environments, rather than balancing competing objectives in complex environments. To deal with different characteristics of wickedness, we recommend that managers develop strategies combining distributed decision‐making, diverse opinions, pattern‐based predictions, trade‐off‐based objectives, and reporting of failures. Recent advances in conservation conflict research have focused on improving interactions among stakeholders. We believe that such stakeholder‐focused approaches would dovetail with the whole‐system focus of a wicked problems framework, allowing conservationists to move toward a holistic strategy for managing conservation conflict.

中文翻译：

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邪恶冲突：利用邪恶问题思维对保护冲突进行整体管理

保护冲突广泛存在，具有破坏性，并且事实证明使用传统的保护方法难以管理。冲突往往是“棘手的问题”，由于利益相关者的价值观不同而缺乏明确的解决方案，并且嵌入在极其复杂的环境中。利用严重环境问题的概念可以制定更适合解决冲突的管理策略。然而，尚不清楚管理者是否接受来自棘手问题概念的想法。目前缺乏应用策略来解决特定棘手问题（例如保护冲突）的指导。我们利用八个当代冲突案例研究，探讨了受棘手问题启发的管理的适用性。保护冲突主要使用适合在简单环境中解决单一目标的传统方法来管理，而不是在复杂环境中平衡相互竞争的目标。为了应对邪恶的不同特征，我们建议管理者制定结合分布式决策、多样化意见、基于模式的预测、基于权衡的目标和失败报告的策略。保护冲突研究的最新进展集中于改善利益相关者之间的互动。我们相信，这种以利益相关者为中心的方法将与棘手问题框架的整个系统焦点相吻合，使保护主义者能够采取整体战略来管理保护冲突。