Power is present in all of our daily work. This day will focus on what that looks like in practice; how the dynamics of power play out in the day-to-day work of community conservation. We will reflect on learnings from the African Protected Areas Congress in Kigali in 2022, which drew attention to topics like governance, rights, benefits, partnerships, and organizational challenges. Within each of these areas, we want to interrogate the promise and problem of power and identify what can help or hinder efforts to advance community conservation.
The promise and problem of power…How inequity can be addressed or reinforced within organizations, within the landscape, and within partnerships.
Early Morning
Session I: Keynote Address
The framework: What power in practice looks like
Plenary
Power in organizations: How does power show up/play out in organizations
Power in community conservation: How does power show up/play out in community conservation
Power in partnerships: How does power show up/play out in partnerships
Late Morning
Session II: Parallel Sessions - Power within Organizations
Session 1: Transition and Succession in Our Organizations
Leaders hold significant power at an organization. What happens if they are unwilling to move on? On the flip side, what happens when they want to move on and hand over their leadership role to someone else? In this session we explore the ups and down of succession planning and leadership transitions and the obvious and not-so-obvious issues that must be considered.
Session 2: The Real Cost of (donor) Money
Grant terms can often have hidden costs, direct and indirect, to local organizations. Simultaneously, donors often operate within a set of constraints themselves, limiting their grant-making flexibility. In this session, we aim to explore these challenges and how improved partnership can facilitate grant making processes for both donors and local organizations.
Session 3: Building diverse and inclusive organizations
Does having a diverse and inclusive organization and team matter? Why does it matter and what can it look like in practice? This session aims to explore and understand how power plays into diversity, equity and inclusion in organizations. Together we will discover new perspectives on what diverse and inclusive organizations might look like in practice.
Parallel Sessions: Power within Landscapes
Session 4: Conservation and Community Rights
Does conservation undermine community and individual rights over land and natural resources? Is power being taken away from Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the ‘interest’ of conservation? How can communities exercise their self-determination in conservation? Let us have an honest discussion as we explore these questions.
Session 5: The commercial side of conservation
Commercial partnerships are filled with latent potential to accelerate conservation impact and improve livelihoods. Some conservation enterprises yield incredible results, others crash and burn in a blaze of glory. How does power manifest in these situations? And what impact does it have on communities, local organizations and conservation? What can we do differently to better harness the promise and the potential? Let’s Discuss!
Session 6: Turf and empires in landscapes
The dynamics between actors in landscapes can foster both positive or negative power dynamics. Some organizations can develop a sense of ownership or control over certain people, landscapes, and species. In this session, we will explore organizations’ experiences: What has to be navigated? How has this been overcome for good?
Afternoon
Power in Partnerships: Presentation of two reports on money and partnerships in the conservation space
Group reflections
Facilitated discussion
Observations and reflections
Evening
Fireside chats