Community-led Conservation

An approach to environmental management where local communities, indigenous groups, and traditional forest dwellers are empowered to govern, protect, and sustainably utilize natural resources within their ancestral or inhabited territories.

Why it matters

Integrates traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation science for more resilient biodiversity management.
Reduces human-wildlife conflict by aligning conservation objectives with the socio-economic needs of local populations.
Strengthens decentralized governance by formalizing the role of local institutions in land-use decision-making.
Enhances the long-term sustainability of protected areas by fostering local stewardship rather than top-down enforcement.

How it is asked

Focus on the shift from exclusionary conservation models to inclusive, rights-based frameworks, specifically in relation to the Forest Rights Act and the role of Gram Sabhas in biodiversity governance.

In the syllabus

In the news

Arunachal Pradesh fish conservation initiative 2 July

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