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News, Updates and Stories
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Edition 02 | October 2024
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“Engaging with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for Biodiversity Conservation: Trainer’s Guide”
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We are excited to share our newest resource. This guide, alongside the video resources available on our website, is meant to assist experienced trainers in delivering training workshops on PARTNERS Principles for community engagement.
If you have been engaging with Indigenous Peoples and local communities for biodiversity conservation, and would like to train others, get in touch with us here to explore the possibility of joining one of our ‘Training of Trainers’ workshops.
Please feel free to use the new trainers’ guide, distribute it, or upload it on your website as you see fit.
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Training workshops conducted for conservationists
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Our Alliance has so far conducted 15 introductory orientation sessions or full training workshops (including training of trainers) in ethical nature conservation as well as ethical community engagement. These national and international workshops have taken place in various countries including Brazil, Cameroon, Finland, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, United States of America, and Uzbekistan. Participants or trainees have included frontline conservationists and government officials including senior bureaucrats and ministers. So far, 260 conservationists from 45 countries have enhanced their knowledge and skills in ethical nature conservation and effective community engagement.
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Training of trainers in ethical community engagement, Lake Issyk-kul, Kyrgyzstan
Nine experienced conservationists from 7 countries (Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan) successfully completed a 4-day course to become trainers in community engagement. The trainees received their completion certificates from the British Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan. The workshop, conducted by the International Snow Leopard Trust and hosted by the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program and Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, was held from 12th to 15th September, 2024 with support from the United Kingdom’s Darwin Initiative and the Whitley Fund for Nature.
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Participants from seven countries including five snow leopard range countries attended a four-day ‘training of the trainers’ workshop for conservation leaders at the beach of Lake Issyk-kul, Kyrgyzstan. These participants will go back and train frontline conservation practitioners in ethical community engagement for conservation.
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Orientation session on ethical nature conservation for Whitley Awards Alumni, Lake Issyk-kul, Kyrgyzstan
Twelve celebrated conservationists from 7 countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Vietnam and Uzbekistan), including a few ECA members and two staff of the Whitley Fund for Nature (United Kingdom), participated in a day-long workshop on ethical nature conservation in September, 2024. The workshop generated stimulating discussions and sharing of experiences as participants confronted ethical dilemmas involving nature conservation and indigenous community well-being.
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Participants from Whitley Fund for Nature’s Asia Regional Training Course in Kyrgyzstan attending a day-long workshop on ethical nature conservation.
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Workshop on ethical nature conservation for the Snow Leopard Trust Partner Network, Seattle, USA
Thirty-three conservationists from 8 countries (India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Qatar, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States) involved in snow leopard conservation in Asia’s high mountains participated in a four-day workshop on ethical nature conservation. Topics ranged from how we view and treat animals to strengthening the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in research and conservation.
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Participants of the workshop on ethical nature conservation held in Seattle, USA, in June 2024
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Online orientation sessions in community engagement for the fellows of the Global Diversity Foundation
In May 2024, two online sessions (1.5 hours each) on effective and ethical community engagement were conducted for 31 Fellows of the Global Diversity Foundation from 19 countries (Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Samoa, Tanzania, and Zambia). The sessions focused on experiences and strategies for building conservation partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, rooted in respect, equity, transparency, and accountability.
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Orientation session for zoo practitioners in ethical community engagement at the Conference of Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation
A four-hour orientation session on PARTNERS Principles for ethical community engagement was conducted at the 2024 ZACC Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA in May 2023. The 13 participants from eight countries (Brazil, France, Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, and USA) included staff from various zoos and conservation organizations.
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Orientation workshop on ethical community engagement, held at the 2024 conference of Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in May 2024.
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We thank our members who conducted these workshops, including Ms. Bayarjargal Agvaantseren (Mongolia), Ms. Benazir Kabaeva (Kyrgyzstan), Dr. Charu Mishra (India), Mr. Epanda Manfred Aime (Cameroon), Ms. Jennifer Snell Rullman (USA), Dr. Koustubh Sharma (India and Kyrgyzstan), and Dr. Suri Venkatachalam (India).
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Congratulations to our members!
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Farwiza Farhan (Indonesia) is Ramon Magsaysay Awardee
Farwiza founded the Yayasan HAkA, an Indonesian grassroots organization dedicated to conserving the Leuser Ecosystem. She is awarded for Emergent Leadership for “her profound understanding of the vital connection between nature and humanity, her commitment to social justice and responsible citizenship through her work with forest communities, and her promotion of greater awareness of the need to protect the beating heart and lungs of her country’s and Asia’s rich but endangered natural resources.” The Ramon Magsaysay Award perpetuates former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s example of integrity in governance and courageous service to the people.
“I am deeply honored and humbled. I was surprised and incredibly moved when I heard the news, but I feel that this award is less about me, and more about the collective power at Yayasan Hutan, Alam, dan Lingkungan Aceh (HAkA) and our partners, supporters, and allies – all doing critical work in advocating for stronger protection of the Leuser Ecosystem” – Farwiza
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Dr. Purnima Devi Barman (India) receives Whitley Gold Award
Purnima founded the Hargila Army, a women’s initiative dedicated to protecting the Greater Adjutant Stork in Assam, India. Her work, in collaboration with the region’s women, has led to a significant recovery of the Greater Adjutant Stork population in Assam from 450 to more than 1,800 birds. Purnima is expanding her efforts to involve 20,000 women in conservation.
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Dr. Bohdan Prots (Ukraine) receives the Wayfarer Award from the National Geographic Society
Bohdan heads the Department of Landscape and Biota Diversity at the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and founded the Danube-Carpathian Programme. He has been awarded for his outstanding work on nature conservation, contributing to research in plant ecology, biodiversity protection, plant invasion, nature conservation planning and natural resource management in Ukraine, the European Union and Asia. Bohdan has been involved in preserving virgin and old-growth forests and UNESCO Heritage Sites, establishing many new protected areas and securing transboundary ecological corridors for large carnivores.
“The National Geographic Award has provided me with additional inspiration, life energy and excitement for the work ahead. It has expanded my life and work plans. It makes me younger. It had injected energy and desire to work on the protection of nature and help people to do so despite the horror of the ongoing Ukraine-Russian war, lost colleagues and periodically flying rockets over the apartment” – Bohdan
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A Tale of Sharks and Lionfish
Dr Rachel T Graham (Belize, Panama)
I was sitting bobbing on the sea in a small panga – an open boat with an outboard – with several traditional fishers in Belize when my phone rang. I had thankfully just washed my hands clean of bait. After fumbling for the buttons, I managed to answer. There was nary a hello or chit chat, as my Panamanian colleague jumped right to the point: “the community leaders and fishers here are not the least bit interested in assessing the status of sharks and other marine megafauna…what do we do?”…
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The Ethical Conservation Alliance and International Conventions: Towards a Global Movement
Dr. Koustubh Sharma (India, Kyrgyzstan)
When you are supporting or partnering with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to protect species and ecosystems; you are focused on ensuring local peoples’ well-being; your work assists in diversifying their nature-based livelihoods so that catastrophic impacts of climate change could be mitigated; and you are building cooperation across international borders, you are supporting national commitments to several international conventions…
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Facilitator Insights from an Orientation Session for the Zoo Community
Benazir Kabaeva (Kyrgyzstan)
I was excited about the opportunity to help conduct a brief workshop at the 2024 Conference of Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. I was also a bit overwhelmed because I knew that our participants had chosen our workshop over a fun field trip that included kayaking. Jennifer, my co-lead, reminded me that we were not teaching people or saying that “this is the right way to do conservation” but rather we were going to facilitate conversation about our challenges, best practices, highs and lows…
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National Geographic Society will host a workshop on ethical nature conservation in collaboration with the Ethical Conservation Alliance in October, 2024 in Washington DC, USA
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The International Day of Ethical Nature Conservation will be celebrated on November 6th. This commemorates the day when the Ethical Conservation Alliance was launched in 2023 at the People for Planet Summit. Stay tuned.
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Ewaso Lions will lead a workshop on developing a framework for community-led conservation from 19th to 22nd November, in Samburu, Kenya.
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Do you work with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and are facing issues you would like to discuss, or get assistance on?
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Photo credit: Farwiza Farhan
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We request you to please forward this newsletter to at least ONE more person who might find it useful
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Photo credit: Sonam Tashi Lama
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If you’d like to make a donation to the Ethical Conservation Alliance, please write to us here
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Ethical Conservation Alliance is financially supported by:
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