Special Sessions

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]This session explored how community-scientist teams around the world are changing the process of science by working closely together on conservation and livelihoods issues. We call this approach ‘transformative science with society’. This new science brings together...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) offers a valuable yet under-utilized approach for climate change adaptation and mitigation, complementing traditional actions such as infrastructure development. EbA uses biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall strategy to help communities...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]An intergenerational panel (consisting of a member from the Statutory Māori Advisory Committee, the Manahautū (General Manager Māori) and a Youth member of the Māori Policy and Operations Unit at the Environmental Protection Authority) discussed the influence...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]This workshop centered around the fact that fish conservation and resource sustainability are at a crossroads in the current century, and that it is therefore necessary to engage broad societal participation. The session engaged with academia, fishers,...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]This session focused on the varying dimensions of vulnerabilities of resources dependent local communities in the landscapes harboring iconic species such as the tiger. The human dominated landscapes of South Asia are also the home to rich...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Lawaiʻa pono means to fish righteously, in ways that honor the time-tested values and sustainable practices of our kūpuna (ancestors).  Mālama ʻāina (to care for that which feeds; biocultural resources) is a challenge shared by island nations and...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]UNESCO Biospheres, such as the Bras d’Or Lake Biosphere Reserve Association (BLBRA - June 29, 2011), promote the growth of environmentally sustainable businesses along with encouraging all people, including industry, with nature to work better together. In the...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Successful biodiversity conservation is a complex endeavor, hinging on women and men sustainably managing lands and natural resources. For 30 years, Conservation International (CI) has delivered successful conservation outcomes by empowering rural Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Despite the rapid growth of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) interventions and studies examining these interventions, a limited evidence base describes what works, what doesn’t, and why. Mirroring the evidence base across the broader conservation sector (Bowler et...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Something special happened in Canada in 2015; the parks community, representing 200 thought-leaders and decision makers from all coasts and geo-political regions throughout the country, met to determine shared goals and priority actions resulting in distinct practices...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]A discussion on how conservation can better reflect the needs and values of local communities is built here through case studies shared from locations such as Panama, Brazil, and Columbia - among several others. Through the resources...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Small-scale fisheries make vital contributions to conservation, health, livelihoods, and the cultural identities of people across the globe. Despite these social and ecological complexities, fisheries are often treated as a resource to be managed for the purpose...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_empty_space height="20px"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]It has been approximately a decade since heavy poaching of elephants, rhinos and growing illegal trade in other high-value species to distant foreign markets gathered pace across Africa; many...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]In the last decade, governments, donors, UN agencies, grassroots organizations and non-governmental organizations have increasingly understood that healthy environments are necessary to realize many fundamental human rights, and that realizing human rights is essential for achieving durable...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]In spite of its relevance, the multidimensional role that biodiversity plays in the wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples remains poorly understood. The absence of mechanisms for decision-makers to systematically consider local uses and values can result in interventions that convert...

The over 400 registrants attending the Communities, Conservation & Livelihoods conference will see four Nova Scotia communities highlighted at the very beginning at the first Plenary event, called Celebrating Communities, chaired by Saint Mary’s prof and conference co-host, Tony Charles....

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]The Second Flood is a documentary film which narrates the story of an Indigenous community inhabiting the Nicobar Islands after being devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. The Nicobar Islands, a remote archipelago in the Bay of Bengal...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Natural Resource Governance Framework (NRGF) is an IUCN/CEESP initiative created for the purpose of providing a robust, inclusive, and credible approach to assessing and strengthening natural resource governance, at multiple levels and in diverse contexts. The overarching...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Biosphere reserves (BR) have been viewed as great places to demonstrate how sustainable development can be achieve through the integration of conservation and cultural values to enhance the wellbeing of local communities. To achieve such ultimate goals...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]The Peruvian Amazon, apart from being the most biodiverse place in Peru, gathers the majority of ethnic groups of indigenous peoples that inhabit the Peruvian territory. These peoples have managed to maintain a harmonious relationship with their...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Tropical ecosystems are home to a stunning array of plants and animals, and provide vital benefits including water provision, climate regulation, and carbon storage. They also provide direct life support for some of the planet’s most vulnerable...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Advancing gender equality and promoting women’s and girls’ rights, as well as the rights of all communities and populations who are, persistently, among the more marginalized and disenfranchised, is an essential component of the sustainable use, management...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]There is an increased expectation that communities will take more responsibility for what happens in their place - that refers to local governance, decision-making, environmental and landscape stewardship and much more. This is a consequence of a...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Landscapes considered sacred to one or more faith groups occur across the globe. Such places, heralded as special for many reasons, can be considered global examples of how humanity can truly live in harmony and respect with...

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]E Alu Pū means moving forward together or to gather like a school of fish. The E Alu Pū network links more than twenty-five communities from around Hawai`i who support one another in protecting and stewarding lands and...