The conference will bring together people from many different backgrounds – including community representatives, researchers, Indigenous organizations, governments and nongovernmental organizations. The gathering includes over 50 Special Sessions on a wide range of themes, contributed by many communities and organizations around the world, together with over 140 individual presentations, organized into thematic sessions. There will also be many thought-provoking films, photo exhibits, and art installations, as well as an interactive creative arts recycling workshop.

      Photo: CCRN

In addition, an opening plenary will celebrate communities in the conference’s location of Nova Scotia, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada – featuring the four communities of Sheet Harbour, Eskasoni First Nation, Spryfield (Halifax) and Bear River First Nation. As Sandy Mosher (Sheet Harbour) notes, “Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore has fought many battles to protect its natural resources and way of life.” In the Eskasoni area, the Bras d’Or Lake Biosphere Reserve shows how industry and people can develop environmentally sustainable businesses that not only aid the communities but the health of the area as well.

Those following the work of the Community Conservation Research Network will find many network results at the conference. An example is the Special Session “Searching for Success in Connecting Communities, Conservation & Livelihoods“. Hosted by Dr. Anthony Charles, CCRN Director, the session will feature presentations by Derek Armitage, Fikret Berkes, Cristiana Seixas, and Merle Sowman. They will be reviewing CCRN studies on the value to community conservation of a social-ecological systems perspective, of understanding the meanings and motivations behind conservation, of effective multi-level governance, and of suitable monitoring of multi-faceted outcomes. Many CCRN community-level studies will be presented, from Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa, Timor Leste, Iran, India, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, the Caribbean, Canada and more. An example is the work of Alice Ramos de Moraes, Cristiana Seixas, and Juliana Farinaci – a film Fostering learning communities on integrated conservation and development in Southeast Brazil, focusing on the two communities Catuçaba and Trindade.

Presentations with an Indigenous focus are a strong feature of the conference. Examples include a full 1-hour session led by Pam McElwee on Engaging Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Peoples in the IPBES Global Assessment, a presentation on Challenging “Normal”: Black & Anishinaabe Perspectives and Processes on Inclusive Conservation Ideologies by Janae Davis, and The relationship between conservation and the legal security over indigenous territories: the case of the Amazonian peoples of Peru, by Andrea Calmet. The aim of the latter, she writes, is “to generate a space for constructive dialogue and discussion over the intimate relationship that exists between the ability of Amazonian indigenous peoples to participate actively from conservation within their territories, and the legal recognition and security in the long term over their territories”.

Other themes to be covered in the conference include Collaboration and Conflict Resolution; Conserved Areas; Marine Protected Areas and Spatial Management; Wildlife; Indigenous and Local Knowledge; Livelihoods; Governance and Rights; Peace and Conflict; Community-Based Monitoring; Women, Gender and Youth; Local Economies, Value Chains and Innovative Financing; Cultural Values, Spirituality, Perceptions; Monitoring and Assessment; and Stewardship and Conservation.

This will be an engaging and informative conference with international delegates sharing knowledge and networking with the goal to highlight how communities around the world are working to improve their local environment and economies, through conservation and livelihood measures.

For more information about the conference or to register, visit: https://www.communityconservation.net/communities-conservation-livelihoods-conference/ 

This article originally appeared on the CCRN website: https://www.communityconservation.net/communities-conservation-livelihoods-2018-international-conference-local-communities-in-the-spotlight/