Using Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Rights to Revive Species and Sustain Communities

11/10/2025
12:00 - 12:45
Human-Centred Conservation Pavilion , Morning

Pourquoi participer

Discover how recognized community rights drive conservation success. Austin Smith showcases the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs restoring bighorn sheep using tribal knowledge and science, while Shane Mahoney highlights Alaska’s subsistence harvests, illustrating how public lands, guided by cultural practice and community voice, support equitable, resilient conservation and human well-being.

Description de la séance

This session highlights practical examples of how Indigenous and community rights underpin effective conservation and sustainable resource use. Austin Smith presents the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs’ successful reintroduction of bighorn sheep to ancestral lands in Oregon. By combining tribal ecological knowledge with modern habitat restoration, disease management, and monitoring, the Tribes have ensured both the species’ survival and the revitalization of cultural heritage. Complementing this, Shane Mahoney examines subsistence harvests of wild foods and medicines from Alaska’s public forests, demonstrating how multi-use public lands, when managed with local leadership, can support food security, cultural continuity, and ecosystem health. Drawing on surveys, public data, and research from the Wild Harvest Initiative, this case study shows how institutional recognition of subsistence rights creates landscapes where people and nature thrive together. Attendees will gain insights into scalable approaches for integrating rights, stewardship, and conservation outcomes.
Organised by
Jamma International ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland )

Speaker

Speaker AUSTIN SMITH

Using Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Rights to Revive Species and Sustain Communities

Speaker Shane MAHONEY

International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation

Using Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Rights to Revive Species and Sustain Communities