Workshop participants learning about the many factors involved in community forest governance.
At Community Conservation, we believe lasting conservation begins with people, when local communities, researchers, and conservation professionals come together to share knowledge and shape projects rooted in real relationships.
That’s why, in addition to supporting communities and partners on the ground to conserve biodiversity, we also build people’s capacities to support community conservation around the world. Our workshops and seminars give professionals and students the tools they need to strengthen conservation from the ground up.
A Workshop in the Heart of Kathmandu
We held another in-person Community Conservation workshop in Kathmandu, co-hosted with Community Conservation Nepal and the Nature Conservation and Study Centre. Nine students and two NGO staff participated in this two-day training, and while the skies opened in a nearly non-stop downpour (almost ten inches of rain fell in three days), the enthusiasm inside the classroom never wavered.
Despite flash floods across the Kathmandu Valley, every participant who could safely attend made it, eager to engage, share ideas, and learn from one another.
A group of young conservationists play a community conservation board game during one of our workshops. The game was developed by Dan Jergens, an Ambassador-At- Large. This special edition game is based on our conservation work in Nepal.
Learning by Doing
Each time we hold a workshop, we move further away from lectures and toward hands-on, interactive learning. For many participants, it’s their first time experiencing this style of training. Through activities and role-playing, they not only learn new approaches to conservation, they build connections and confidence.
One favorite activity involves participants guessing the conservation values held by different communities, from sacred forests in Yunnan to forests in Myanmar. Many are surprised to learn that extraction and tourism are not the top priorities for most communities. Instead, wildlife conservation and ecosystem services like rain, fertile soil, and clean air often rank highest.
This exercise helps dismantle a common misconception: that communities in lower-income regions only value nature for its immediate economic returns. In reality, those most closely tied to the land often have the deepest understanding of its true worth.
As one participant later reflected:
“I will listen to people’s perspectives and not assume.”
Students share ideas during a workshop
Redefining What “Community Conservation” Means
Another major takeaway from the workshop is redefining what community conservation really is. Many participants arrive assuming it’s about providing benefits to communities to gain their cooperation.
But as we discuss in the workshop, that’s not how we understand community conservation. .
Community conservation is when communities themselves actively manage and protect biodiversity according to their own values and priorities.
As our founder, the late Dr. Rob Horwich, often said:
“I never walked into a community that didn’t have an interest in learning about and protecting their environment.”
Building Skills, Confidence, and Collaboration
In the workshop, participants practice introducing themselves and their project ideas to a mock community (i.e. the other participants). Some present projects focused on butterflies, migratory birds, or snow leopards in the Himalayas; others on removing invasive species or conserving tree snags for woodpeckers.
It is surprisingly difficult to know what to say when faced with a new group of people and express what you want to do. The exercise teaches empathy and communication, essential tools for conservationists who want to partner effectively with local communities.
Workshop participants who successfully completed their training in September 2024. They are now ready to take community conservation practices back to their own communities.
Why These Workshops Matter
Our workshops are designed to answer key questions such as:
- What is community conservation?
- Why does it work?
- Does it work across large scales?
- What is the role of women in conservation?
We also cover practical topics like identifying projects and partners, initiating relationships with communities, supporting community groups, and designing sustainable projects.
Each session — whether in-person in Nepal, Cameroon, or Peru, or online for participants in Bangladesh or the U.S. — reflects our belief that conservation succeeds when communities lead and conservationists listen.
Partner With Us
We’ve held community conservation workshops and seminars around the world, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison to Cameroon, Nepal, and beyond.
If your organization, university, or conservation program is interested in hosting or partnering on a workshop, we’d love to collaborate. Together, we can strengthen the global network of people and communities protecting biodiversity.
Learn more or get in touch at: communityconservation.org/our-workshops
Teri D. Allendorf, PhD, is the Executive Director of Community Conservation and a conservation biologist affiliated with the Dept of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in the US. She has worked on issues of communities and biodiversity conservation in Nepal and globally for three decades.