Reimagining conservation: Toward a flourishing future
This issue of Policy Matters is devoted to the Reimagining Conservation initiative. It dives into four transformative chapters to reimagine conservation: conservation action, leadership and justice, money and power, and relationships. Through critical reflections and bold alternatives, this issue challenges us to rethink how conservation is led, who it serves, and what it can become, with articles and stories intentionally curated to reflect those discussions and guiding questions.
Reimagining Conservation began in 2021 as both a question and a commitment: what would it take to move beyond inherited conservation paradigms toward something more just, inclusive, and rooted in care? It emerged from listening – to the land, to communities, to each other, and to the shifting realities that defy simple solutions. The challenges we face today are not only ecological but also cultural, political, and relational. They demand that we reimagine not only what conservation looks like, but how and why we do it – at every level, from local action to global policy.
We are living in an era of deep uncertainty: shrinking civic space, growing polarization, climate disruption, biodiversity collapse, and widening inequities alongside mounting governance crises. Old models are failing, and business-as-usual is no longer an option. What the world needs now is leadership with the courage to challenge entrenched paradigms, bridge divides, and centre justice and care as inseparable from environmental action. Reimagining
Conservation is not a technical adjustment; it is a call for bold paradigm shifts and leaders willing to chart new pathways that honour diversity, solidarity, and shared responsibility for the planet’s future.
At its heart, this initiative is a global partnership built from the ground up – a living, evolving movement that honours diversity in all its forms: of knowledge, practice, and perspective. It is about slowing down to hear the voices too often silenced, about fostering leadership from those who live conservation every day, and about building strong partnerships and collaborations that connect territories with institutions, policy, philanthropy, and networks. It recognizes that the health of our planet depends on justice as much as it does on biodiversity, and that everyone – whether working in communities, organizations, governments, or global platforms – has a role to play.