Format/Structure

Featuring conservation efforts that center marginalized knowledge systems and meet demands for scalability, monitoring, and durability.

Long Abstract

Decades of political ecological critique has helped expose the colonial roots of mainstream conservation. From parks and protected areas to species-at-risk legislation and hunting quotas, the foundation of mainstream biodiversity conservation is about protecting nature from humans; about separating people from the lands and waters they have responsibility for. The displacement of Indigenous Peoples in the name of conservation has been well documented. These approaches have proven insufficient to address the global biodiversity crisis, prompting calls for ‘transformative change’ that recognizes the important role that Indigenous Peoples, women, and other minoritized groups around the world should play in addressing the biodiversity crisis. These calls and widespread agreement emerge from decades of Indigenous activism and resulting awareness of the high levels of biodiversity found on Indigenous lands, as well as a response to global commitments to respect the rights and practices of Indigenous and local communities, including women and children, in future conservation planning (CBD, 2022; IPBES, 2024).

Responding to the calls for a more affirmative political ecology, these sessions aim to highlight instances of such transformation of conservation practice, where the practices of long-marginalized groups and individuals are re-centered in conservation practice and policy. We are particularly interested in cases that respect the diversity of knowledge production, management, and communication practices among different Indigenous Peoples across lines of gender, class, caste, and other categories of difference; while meeting scientific demands for scalability, monitoring, and accounting; and policy needs for application, transferability, and durability. In short – how do we collectively build a conservation science and practice that departs from the colonial foundations of mainstream conservation? We welcome theoretical and empirical interventions that seek to answer this question.

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