Conservation success hinges on integrating local communities into biodiversity planning
Original framing: “Conserving 30% of the planet will only succeed if people are part of the plan” — The Conversation - Global
Indigenous communities have long practiced sustainable land and marine management through systems like kaitiakitanga, stewardship, and customary tenure. Their exclusion from conservation planning reflects colonial legacies and undermines effective biodiversity protection.
Conservation success is not a matter of imposing external strategies but of rebuilding relationships between people and ecosystems.
Indigenous and local communities have long demonstrated the capacity to steward biodiversity effectively, yet their exclusion from decision-making reflects colonial power structures. By integrating their knowledge, reforming governance, and supporting community-led conservation, we can move toward a more just and effective model. Historical patterns show that conservation that excludes local populations is doomed to failure, while inclusive models yield both ecological and social benefits. This systemic shift requires not only policy reform but a cultural reorientation toward relationality and reciprocity with the natural world.