Community Well-being-Centered Conservation (Wild Happiness)

Our current systems are designed in a way that doesn’t consider well-being or value the elements that can lead to it. Through decades of experience and research, OneNature has developed a holistic well-being approach to support the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of conservation projects. Through our Wild Happiness approach, we offer training, tools, and hands-on support that help conservation practitioners measure and integrate community well-being and values with holistic conservation outcomes that benefit wildlife and people and include diverse community perspectives.

A bar chart displaying Wild Happiness Scorecard Domain Comparisons

Research demonstrates that projects incorporating community well-being are more likely to succeed. In partnership with the Happiness Alliance, our Wild Happiness approach to wellbeing-centered project design is based on unique data-driven tools and participatory processes essential to improved financial, programmatic, and community outcomes.

Our Unique Approach

Improved Indicators

PEER-REVIEWED, community-tested indicators that holistically link human well-being with wildlife conservation and habitat stewardship.

Data-driven Engagement

COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP of project activities and enhanced community well-being as a project outcome.

Holistic Success

MEASURABLE BENCHMARKS for improved financial, programmatic, and community outcomes.

“Using the Wild Happiness approach in this community gave IFAW new insights into how the community feels about their lives and the wildlife around them. The in-depth data analysis and expert recommendations OneNature provided help inform program design with the community to better meet their needs and track the well-being project impacts over time.”

Jimmiel Mandima

VP Global Programs & Individual Giving, IFAW

Wild Happiness Holistic Approach outlined in five steps in a chart

Image of a boy smiling outside in front of a vegetable cart

Our holistic approach is designed to assess life satisfaction based on many domains of well-being (including health, community, economy, social support, etc.), as well as individual and community values for the wildlife around them. The Wild Happiness team provides analysis and recommendations directly relevant to the assessment. We use the results to monitor project impacts throughout the life of the project.

“Integrating social science strategies and natural science outcomes helps guide project planning and implementation toward greater sustainability by creating and maintaining measurable community well-being benefits.”

Beth Allgood

Founder & Executive Director, OneNature

Want to learn more?

For more information on how to partner, support, or learn more about our unique approach please contact us at:

allgood@OneNatureInstitute.org

Download a PDF overview of Wild Happiness »

Alanis Obomsawin

“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, the last river is polluted and when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”