I am happy to announce that I have been invited to share OneNature’s work at the 2024 International Wildlife Coexistence Conference in Turin, Italy, from October 20th to 23rd. This opportunity to present OneNature’s innovative approaches to wildlife conservation and community well-being with a global audience of experts and practitioners is truly an honor.
The Importance of the International Wildlife Coexistence Network
The International Wildlife Coexistence Network (IWCN) is at the forefront of transforming human-wildlife conflict into coexistence. As human populations encroach further into wildlife habitats, conflicts are on the rise, leading to the displacement or death of wildlife, which undermines biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. IWCN tackles these challenges head-on by providing expert interdisciplinary assistance, training, and collaboration to help communities around the globe coexist with wildlife.
With a mission to enable peaceful and sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife, IWCN’s vision of a future where communities live in harmony with their local wildlife is something we at OneNature deeply resonate with. The organization’s inclusive approach, bringing together scientists, indigenous leaders, economists, educators, and more, expands knowledge and creates valuable resources for communities.
An Exciting Conference Lineup
The conference, set in a picturesque village near Turin, promises to be a hub of learning and networking. Topics will cover:
- Scaling up models of coexistence
- Indigenous leadership in coexistence initiatives
- Youth engagement in the wildlife coexistence movement
- Building effective stakeholder and community partnerships
- Innovative technologies to enhance coexistence success
- Merging ecotourism and coexistence outreach
- The role of compassion in wildlife coexistence
- Standards in evaluating and measuring success
- Best practices in non-lethal tools and methods
- Hard lessons learned: anticipating and overcoming obstacles
This lineup is comprehensive and crucial for anyone invested in finding sustainable solutions to wildlife conflict.
My Presentation: Enhancing Wildlife Conservation through Community-Driven Well-Being Indicators
At the conference, I will present on “Enhancing Wildlife Conservation through Community-Driven Well-Being Indicators,” discussing the Wild Happiness approach. This method integrates community well-being metrics into conservation strategies, ensuring that these efforts are culturally sensitive and supported by local communities.
Our research, conducted in collaboration with conservation partners and local communities in several pilot projects underscores the importance of incorporating local perceptions and well-being into conservation metrics. For example, in Kenya, working alongside the Maasai community in Amboseli and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, we established a well-being baseline that provided insights into community perspectives on wildlife and identified economic challenges like food insecurity. By integrating these findings into conservation strategies, we can ensure that the measures will be culturally sensitive and supported by the local community, thereby enhancing the sustainability of wildlife protection efforts.
The presentation will outline the methodologies used to integrate well-being indicators into conservation practices, discuss the impacts of these strategies on both community and conservation outcomes, and explore the potential for scaling these methods to other regions. Our goal is to demonstrate how well-being metrics can transform traditional conservation approaches into more effective, sustainable, and equitable practices.
Why This Conference Matters
This conference is important for anyone passionate about wildlife conservation and interested in exploring innovative solutions to human-wildlife conflict. The setting itself— a small village near Turin— offers a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in nature while engaging with cutting-edge ideas and technologies.
A Call to Action
If you are interested in wildlife coexistence I encourage you to attend! It’s a chance to connect with interdisciplinary experts, share knowledge, and forge partnerships that can drive meaningful change. At OneNature, we hope that by sharing our approach, we can partner with more organizations and communities to bring these methods into their work, fostering a world where humans and wildlife thrive together.
Join Us in Turin
We hope you can mark your calendars for October 20-23, 2024, and join us in Turin for an inspiring and transformative event. Together, we can build a future where communities and wildlife coexist in harmony. For more information and to register, visit the International Wildlife Coexistence Network’s website.
I look forward to seeing you there and sharing OneNature’s insights and successes in integrating community well-being with wildlife conservation. Let’s come together to create a better future for all living beings.
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