HOT TOPICS
Members of the community living alongside elephants in Kenya play a key role in the success of calf rehabiliation projects.
The Power of Community Elyan Shor, Ph.D., looks at community-based conservation, a sustainable approach that integrates the well-being of both wildlife and people.
H
umans and wildlife have coexisted in the same landscapes for thousands of years, but our rapidly changing world has shifted the dynamics of human-wildlife interactions. At this modern interface between wildlife and people, there is an ever-growing need for sustainable conservation approaches that address both the protection of animals and respect for the heritage, values, and livelihoods of communities.
Within the last three decades, community-based conservation (CBC) has emerged as an effective approach to sustainable conservation. CBC embraces the notion that the well-being of humans and wildlife are interconnected, and that since people and wildlife share landscapes, conservation should be approached with coexistence in mind. Further, CBC recognizes that conservation is a human activity, and accordingly, should be inclusive of the people most impacted by conservation decisions: the local communities.
8 / SAN DIEGO ZOO WILDLIFE ALLIANCE JOURNAL / JULY/AUGUST 2021
“It’s important to acknowledge that the protection of wildlife often depends on the people who are living with them,” says Kirstie Ruppert, Ph.D., community engagement scientist at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDWZA). “CBC prioritizes participation and empowers local leadership to make decisions about conservation management.” Kirstie studies the human dimensions of conservation science, with a focus on CBC initiatives in Kenya. She explains that since up to 70 percent of
