Presentation short abstract

External actors increasingly seek to support biocultural conservation at scale to achieve global biodiversity goals. Through the case of a pastoralist-led biocultural initiative in Kenya, I argue that global funding systems must adapt to enable conservation to move beyond its colonial foundations.

Presentation long abstract

Biocultural conservation is re-emerging as a pathway that rejects exclusionary, (neo)colonial conservation methods and centres people’s relationships with nature (Gavin et al., 2015). Biocultural diversity has long been created and conserved in situ by on-the-ground actors, often Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local communities (LCs) (Nemogá, 2016). Following decades of activism by Indigenous and local actors, external actors are now increasingly seeking to support biocultural conservation at scale to achieve global biodiversity goals. For example, the Global Environment Facility’s Inclusive Conservation Initiative (ICI) is providing USD $25 million in direct financing to IPs and LCs across nine geographical regions.

Biocultural geographies emphasise that attention to scale is vital to understanding biocultural conservation (Correia et al., 2025). Drawing on biocultural geographies, here I pose the question: To what extent are efforts to scale biocultural conservation moving beyond the colonial foundations of mainstream conservation? I explore this question through the case study of an ICI-funded project in northern Kenya which is re-centring the practices and diverse knowledges of four long-marginalised pastoralist ethnic groups. My analysis draws on research conducted alongside the Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation (IMPACT), complemented by five key informant interviews with global-level ICI actors.

Here I argue that attempts to scale biocultural conservation through existing global funding frameworks are limiting the potential to fully transform conservation practice. Drawing on the experiences of ICI, this paper offers insights into how funding systems could be better adapted to build toward a conservation practice that departs from its colonial foundations.