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New global alliance to help improve the practice of biodiversity conservation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2023

Micaela Camino
Affiliation:
Proyecto Quimilero, Resistencia, Argentina.
Karen Aghababyan
Affiliation:
BirdLinks Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia.
Bayarjargal Agvaantseren
Affiliation:
Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Justine Shanti Alexander*
Affiliation:
Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, USA.
Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi
Affiliation:
Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, USA.
Kubanychbek Zhumabaiuulu†
Affiliation:
Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, USA.
Charudutt Mishra
Affiliation:
Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, USA.
Shivani Bhalla
Affiliation:
Ewaso Lions, Samburu, Kenya.
Manfred Aimé Epanda
Affiliation:
Tropical Forest and Rural Development, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Farwiza Farhan
Affiliation:
Forest, Nature and Environment Aceh Foundation, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
Sonam Tashi Lama
Affiliation:
Red Panda Network, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sandro Lovari
Affiliation:
Maremma Natural History Museum, Grosseto, Italy.
Estrela Matilde
Affiliation:
Fundação Príncipe, Príncipe Island, São Tomé & Príncipe.
Rodrigo Medellin
Affiliation:
University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
Ranjini Murali
Affiliation:
Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Bohdan Prots
Affiliation:
Danube-Carpathian Programme and State Museum of Natural History, Lviv, Ukraine.
Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy
Affiliation:
Beolobe, Madagascar.
José Hernán Sarasola
Affiliation:
Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Rapaces en Argentina, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Santa Rosa, Argentina.
Koustubh Sharma
Affiliation:
Snow Leopard Trust, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Alifereti Tawake
Affiliation:
Locally Managed Marine Area Network International Trust, Suva, Fiji.
Indira Dayang L. Widmann
Affiliation:
Katala Foundation, Palawan, Philippines.
Ilena Zanella
Affiliation:
Asociación Conservacionista Misión Tiburón, Costa Rica.
Lu Zhi
Affiliation:
Center for Nature and Society, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China

Abstract

Type
Conservation News
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International

The global conservation community is facing a critical moment. As climate change and anthropogenic activities such as wars and unsustainable use of resources continue to threaten biodiversity at an unprecedented rate, it is becoming increasingly clear that top–down conservation approaches have been neither sufficient nor ethically sound. Historically, these approaches have led to injustices to and marginalization of local and Indigenous communities, and to compromised long-term conservation outcomes.

An expanding group of conservationists, currently representing 23 countries and with a cumulative experience of 45 decades, working across continents and oceans, have announced the formation of the Partners Conservation Alliance. The Alliance's mission is to help improve how biodiversity conservation is practised worldwide by recognizing and empowering local and Indigenous communities.

The Alliance issued a statement on 2 December 2022, in Kashka Suu village of the Kyrgyz Republic, ahead of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal. The Kashka Suu Statement highlights the need to recognize the role of local and Indigenous people in biodiversity conservation. Initiatives built upon respectful, ethical and resilient partnerships with local and Indigenous communities are the most effective and morally defensible conservation approach, not just to address biodiversity loss but also for sustainable economic development. It is noteworthy that community-led biodiversity conservation programmes can address 10–13 of the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations. The Kashka Suu statement was referenced by the government of the Kyrgyz Republic at the Conference of the Parties in Montreal.

During a 5-day workshop in Kashka Suu village, leading to the Statement, a core group of the Partners Conservation Alliance also committed itself to creating and offering training toolkits and resources for conservation practitioners, to help them engage local and Indigenous communities and strengthen their ownership and conservation leadership. The Alliance plans to offer training in various locations, and the first training course was delivered in Kenya in February 2023.

The Partners Conservation Alliance is determined to help strengthen conservation efforts worldwide by empowering local and Indigenous communities and ensuring their voices are heard in the global conversation about biodiversity conservation. It is time for conservation to be rebuilt on a foundation of respect, equity, transparency, accountability and partnership.

The Kashka Suu Statement on Global Biodiversity Conservation is available at globalsnowleopard.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Partners-conservation-alliance-Statement.pdf

Footnotes

*

Also at: Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India

Also at: Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan