‘Participatory’ conservation research involving indigenous peoples and local communities: Fourteen principles for good practice

• Published in: Biological conservation Vol. 296; p. 110708
• Main Authors: Newing, Helen, Brittain, Stephanie, Buchadas, Ana, del Giorgio, Olivia, Grasham, Catherine Fallon, Ferritto, Robert, Garcia Marquez, Jaime Ricardo, Khanyari, Munib, König, Bettina, Kulkarni, Apoorva, Murali, Ranjini, Qin, Siyu, Rakowski, Judith, Winn, Fleur, Ghoddousi, Arash
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Collaborative research; Community engagement; Ethics; Human dimension; Participatory methods; Research process; Research process; Community engagement; Participatory methods; Ethics; Human dimension; Collaborative research
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110708
• ISSN: 0006-3207

Good practice in ‘participatory’ research in conservation, especially where it involves Indigenous peoples and local communities, has become especially topical following the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022. The Framework sets out three cross-cutting stipulations that have implications for conservation research: (i) that the important role that Indigenous peoples and local communities play in global conservation should be recognised; (ii) that conservation should be rights-based, and (iii) that implementation needs to be based on traditional knowledge as well as scientific evidence. This will require a paradigm shift towards more equitable, inclusive approaches to conservation that support local environmental stewardship. Conservation researchers can play a significant role in supporting this shift, and we see this as a rational next step in the advancement of conservation science as a meta-discipline. Here, we explore these issues from our perspective as a group of researchers who work with Indigenous peoples and local communities. We briefly review the history of ‘participatory’ research in conservation and discuss three cross-cutting themes relating to conservation research that involves Indigenous peoples and local communities: participation across the different stages of the research process; data collection methods and their relative strengths and weaknesses in terms of participation; and ethical issues related to Indigenous and community participation. Finally, we present fourteen broad principles for good practice, which together provide a novel framework to build greater equity into the development and implementation of conservation research involving Indigenous peoples and local communities. •Conservation policy is shifting to a greater focus on rights and equity.•Supporting this shift is a rational next step for conservation science.•Key themes include procedural, methodological and ethical aspects of participation•We present 14 principles for good practice to participation in research.•Together, they provide a novel framework for equity into conservation research.