10/10/2025
14:00 - 14:45
IUCN Africa
Why attend
Engage with local communities and indigenous people from Africa to debate this critical issue of decolonization of conservation
Session Description
With the increasing recognition among governments, development partners, and conservation actors of the important role that IP&LCs play in biodiversity conservation, there have been incessant calls to decolonise conservation by transitioning from the fortress conservation model to progressive rights-based conservation models that recognise the contributions of locally-led conservation and respect IP&LC rights to land and resources as the foundation for sustainable conservation to effectively address biodiversity loss and climate change impacts.The Panel discussion will be centred around game-changing policy and legal reforms, restructuring and strengthening natural resource governance, and increasing and diversifying conservation funding mechanisms that deliver resources to the most local levels as a litmus test for the evolving state of natural resource ownership and policy sovereignty. Discussants are also expected to touch on what all this will mean in practical terms for IP&LCs “holding the fort” on the frontlines of conservation.
Organized by
Eastern and Southern Africa Region
Partners
West and Central Africa Region
Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation
Session agenda
Speaker
Patrick SAIDI HEMEDI
Decolonising Conservation in Africa