Catalysing Transformative Change in Conservation: Lessons Learned From a Decolonial Conservation Partnership

Conservation faces a legitimacy crisis—inadequately protecting nature while marginalising the very people and societies shown to be most successful at conserving nature. Scholars and the global community are increasingly recognising that respecting, protecting, and elevating Indigenous land and water governance contributes to greater outcomes for people and nature. In the face of the dual climate and biodiversity crises, the challenge and the opportunity are great. True transformational change in the conservation sector will require sustained commitment, collaborative effort, humility, courage, and accountability within complex systems with many actors and interests. In this paper, and in the context of scholarly debates reconciliation and resurgence, we examine the efforts of the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (CRP)—an Indigenous-led, large-scale, multi-sectoral decolonial conservation partnership in Canada created to help elevate Indigenous-led conservation and support the transformation of the conservation sector. Drawing on our own experiences, public-facing materials the partnership has created, and the results of a mid-term evaluation, we assess the challenges and benefits of the CRP and offer key lessons for others wishing to create decolonial conservation partnerships.