Presentation short abstract

This presentation reflects on research into the ways in which large, international conservation NGOs conceptualise and implement rights-based approaches in their work. It discusses what this means for the concept of "transformation" in conservation and the ways in which rights might support this.

Presentation long abstract

“Rights-based” approaches (RBAs) are viewed by many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as a transformative solution to ensuring just and equitable conservation for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Despite rights featuring in conservation discourses since the early 2000s, gaps remain between rhetoric and practice. As RBAs to conservation become prioritised by international conservation NGOs and global governance processes, such as the Global Biodiversity Framework, it is important to understand if and how RBAs can meet their aims in the ways in which they are currently deployed, and if this gap can be closed

This presentation reflects on research that has drawn on environmental justice and political ecology to interrogate the concept of RBAs. It demonstrates the procedural, recognition and epistemic implications of RBAs and how these are constructed through the power and discourses of NGOs. These insights are then considered in the context of much-lauded transformation in conservation.

The outcomes of this research suggest that the impact of RBAs is limited by the ways they are currently applied by large international conservation NGOs, but that change could be achieved by moving beyond a purely human rights focus, towards those that consider alternative perspectives on justice. This will require systems change in the funding sphere, the development of truly participatory and locally led practices and new ways of braiding knowledge and perspectives on justice from different worldviews together. The presentation ends with a discussion of how these changes might be implemented, which can be continued in the subsequent discussion.