Summary of the CEESP Journey at WCC

Over the course of dozens of sessions, dialogues, and exchanges, CEESP offered a powerful collective message: conservation must change – not only to meet the scale of ecological crises, but to confront historical injustice, center human rights, and uplift the leadership of those too often excluded from decision-making.

At the heart of this journey was also the Reimagining Conservation Pavilion: a dynamic space co‑created by CEESP and its partners, where participants were invited not just to listen, but to participate, imagine and co‑design. The Pavilion gave physical form to the CEESP’s core messages and offered a space of interaction, reflection and community.

Here are some of the central threads that wove through CEESP’s journey at WCC.

Conservation must be grounded in justice and rights

One of CEESP’s clearest messages was that conservation cannot be separated from human dignity, justice, and rights. It means acknowledging the harms of past conservation practices – such as land dispossession, exclusion, and cultural erasure – and actively working toward redress, reconciliation, and restitution.

Rights-based approaches must put Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the center, not just as stakeholders, but as stewards, rights-holders, and governance leaders. CEESP reframed rights not as an afterthought to environmental work, but as fundamental to both ecological integrity and social equity.

Shifting power is not optional, it’s urgent

Throughout the Congress, CEESP called attention to the persistent power imbalances in conservation – between institutions and communities, between the Global North and South, and even within the environmental movement itself.

A key message was that shifting power means more than including marginalized voices; it means transforming systems. That includes supporting Indigenous governance structures, removing barriers to participation, transferring financial resources, and building processes for co-creation and shared accountability.

It also means facing hard truths: that many conservation models have reinforced colonial legacies, and that transformation will require letting go of control and embracing plural, community-led approaches to care for land, water, and life.

Intergenerational and intersectional leadership is already here

CEESP strongly affirmed that the future of conservation is being shaped by youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, not in theory, but in practice. Across the Congress, these voices didn’t just participate; they led, organized, and reimagined what’s possible with creativity, courage and care.

CEESP also held space for honest reflection on the challenges many young leaders face: burnout, marginalization, lack of recognition, and unsafe working conditions. Its message was one of solidarity and collective care: that building a just and regenerative conservation movement means nurturing people, not just protecting ecosystems.

Conservation exists in a political world

CEESP consistently drew attention to the broader political and geopolitical realities that affect conservation: from authoritarianism and shrinking civic space to climate denialism, armed conflict, and environmental displacement.

Rather than avoiding these challenges, CEESP urged conservationists to engage with them. It advocated for conflict-sensitive approaches, protections for environmental defenders, and the need for conservationists to engage in governance, legal systems, and peacebuilding efforts.

It also made clear that protecting biodiversity is inseparable from protecting democratic spaces, public participation, and the right to dissent – especially for those defending territories and ecosystems on the frontlines.

Conservation must embrace plural knowledge and radical imagination

Another core CEESP message was that technical solutions alone are not enough. Conservation must be culturally relevant, socially grounded, and spiritually aware. That means valuing ancestral knowledge, community storytelling, art, emotion, and place-based ways of knowing – alongside science and policy.

Instead of seeking one universal model, CEESP advocated for many: approaches that are diverse, place-based, and rooted in relationships. CEESP invited everyone to imagine not just how to conserve nature, but how to live in right relationship with it: with care, reciprocity, and responsibility.

This vision requires both deep humility and bold creativity. CEESP sessions became spaces for rethinking leadership, remapping conservation finance, exploring the connections between migration and ecology, and co-creating educational systems that can shift culture, not just behavior.

From words to actions, and from actions to alliances

Above all, CEESP brought a spirit of collective action. Whether through facilitated dialogues, learning circles, policy publications, or celebration of grassroots leaders, it reminded participants that real change comes through partnerships and relationships: through trust, shared purpose, and long-term commitment.

This isn’t about “fixing” conservation from within, it’s about transforming it from the ground up, with the people and movements already building just, resilient, and life-affirming futures.

Continuing the Journey

As the Congress drew to a close, CEESP’s presence left a clear imprint: one of provocation, possibility, and purpose. The Commission helped hold space for a conservation movement that is willing to learn from its past, act in solidarity, and center justice as the foundation for ecological regeneration.

But this journey doesn’t end with the Congress. The work continues in communities, in coalitions, in policy spaces, and in each of us.

The message from CEESP was clear: if we want a flourishing future – for people, for cultures, for the planet – we must reimagine conservation as a deeply human, humble, and hopeful practice.

As part of this ongoing journey, CEESP also launched a new edition of Policy Matters at WCC: “Reimagining Conservation: Toward a Flourishing Future.”

This issue gathers powerful stories and perspectives from around the world: Indigenous-led strategies, youth and women’s movements, land and ocean defenders, cultural revitalization practices, and more – all pointing to what conservation can become when grounded in equity, care, and collective wisdom.