New briefing on community-led conservation to meet 30x30 goals
Today Hannah Grist and Seb O'Connor from the School of Natural and Social Sciences have published a new Research Briefing on community-led conservation to reach 30 x 30 biodiversity goals.
While the full report can be found here: Research Briefing: Community-led conservation to research 30 x 30 biodiversity goals. A summary is provided below.
Hannah and Seb's briefing explores how participatory, place-based approaches can support effective biodiversity conservation under Scotland’s Nature30 framework. Drawing on global evidence from successful conservation schemes, it identifies five key dimensions for effective participation:
1. Identifying and Including Key Actors – Engage stakeholders who have influence and interest in conservation, from landowners to community groups. Approaches like Multi-Stakeholder Platforms and ‘friends of’ groups are effective. Leadership by community champions improves outcomes, though care is needed to avoid gatekeeping. Incentives can help, but non-monetary support, co-designed goals, and visioning exercises often build stronger, long-term engagement.
2. Establishing and Communicating Long-Term Benefits - Conservation is more successful when aligned with local social, economic, and political contexts. Community-based models, such as CBNRM, encourage ownership and sustained participation. Trust, cultural alignment, and recognition of local land rights are essential.
3. Place-Based Governance - Decentralised, locally responsive governance structures lead to more effective conservation. Participatory budgeting, co-management, and iterative decision-making cycles help communities actively shape outcomes. Case studies from Kenya, Thailand, and Canada highlight the benefits of community-driven initiatives and Indigenous-led stewardship.
4. Integrating Knowledge - Effective schemes combine scientific, local, and Indigenous knowledge. Participatory research, co-design, and citizen science improve monitoring and responsiveness to ecological and social change. Training and skills development are needed when new conservation techniques are introduced.
5. Integrating Values - Recognizing and embedding diverse social, cultural, ecological, and biocultural values strengthens legitimacy and support. Methods like participatory mapping, multi-criteria decision analysis, and deliberative valuation help ensure non-monetary values inform decision-making. Local priorities may differ from national or industrial objectives, requiring careful consideration across scales.
Key Findings:
• Context-specific approaches outperform generic, top-down strategies.
• Leadership and active community champions are crucial for successful schemes.
• Aligning conservation with local social and economic values supports long-term engagement.
• Decentralized, participatory governance increases responsiveness and ownership.
• Integrating multiple knowledge systems and plural values improves legitimacy and resilience.
• Incentives should complement, not replace, intrinsic and community-driven motivations.
• Scotland’s Nature30 framework presents an opportunity to implement a ‘living’ governance system that is ecologically reflexive, participatory, and responsive to both social and ecological needs.
Case Example:
Canada’s Nature Strategy emphasizes Indigenous leadership and co-management, flexible place-based approaches, and partnerships with NGOs to support local participation - providing useful lessons for Scotland’s Nature30 implementation.