Why is it so important to involve local communities in conservation?

At our various sites all over the world, we are partnered with incredible communities who help make our projects possible. We feel very privileged to be able to visit and support these areas in order to protect the amazing wildlife found there, and we really value the knowledge and experience that the locals bring.

Currently indigenous groups use or own around 22% of land globally, which is home to an estimated 80% of global biodiversity. Their ancestors have been living in these regions for hundreds of years, and their knowledge and experience has been passed down through the generations. Rural indigenous communities are often overlooked by governments as well as scientists, however they have many decades-worth of experience of managing their land in ways that ensure natural resources are not depleted.

Photo by Tim Coulson

Recently there has been a strong shift towards recognizing the importance of indigenous knowledge, as well as engaging them with conservation. When locals are informed about a project, as well as invited to be involved with it, it only benefits everyone.

Indigenous Mayan communities have lived sustainably deep within the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Mexico for generations now, however climate change is having a huge impact on the region especially through droughts. There are no rivers in the region and all of the water is stored either deep underground (for example in cenotes), or in shallow pools called aguadas. When there are droughts these dry up and mean the water sources disappear.

For communities, these droughts lead to crop failure and push them to find alternative means of income, which is often livestock farming. Where crop farming has for generations been done in a sustainable manner, livestock farming tends to lead to deforestation of the forest to make room for the animals. It can also result in conflict with carnivores including jaguars, which hunt the livestock.

Opwall has been working with these indigenous communities since we started the project in Mexico, and we have worked hard to build bonds with them as well as include them in what we are doing. Many profit from our work through cooking for our researchers or joining us as guides! Some have learnt to appreciate the natural world through meeting our groups and have now trained as trackers, as well as some going into further study so that they can work as researchers themselves.

Photo by Ioan Smart

In addition to providing them with income through working with us, we have also helped to enable them to understand the damaging effects of livestock farming, as well as alternative methods of making an income. We have helped them to set up organic honey cooperatives, which benefits both the locals and the wildlife!

Bees require minimal space so require no forest clearing. They also feed on the flowers found naturally within the forest, and assessments of honey production have shown that in areas where proximity to the forest restricts the amount of land available honey is more profitable than livestock farming.

This also removes conflict with jaguars, which have been forced closer to human settlements due to extended periods of drought.

We work closely with the communities who are indigenous to where we work. We support and respect each other, and are so grateful that we get to visit them every summer!

Title photo by Erin Cubitt