Reimagining Leadership and Justice

Welcome to Reimagining Leadership and Justice, a newsletter exploring alternative models of leadership that prioritize empathy, humility, and shared decision-making.

All articles are available in French and Spanish on the IUCN website.

Traditional notions of leadership in conservation often center on authority figures who dictate the direction of initiatives without meaningful input from affected communities. However, true leadership should be collaborative, inclusive, and reflective of diverse perspectives. Reimagining Leadership and Justice explores alternative models of leadership that prioritize empathy, humility, and shared decision-making.

Reimagining leadership in nature conservation demands not only structural change but also a deeper understanding of justice, grounded in respect, care and love for both people and the planet. It will require action and the creation of structures at multiple scales that support equity, diversity, and inclusion.

This transformation must embrace the leadership and agency of IP&LCs (Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities), women, gender diverse people, and youth, as they have long been at the forefront of conservation, possessing invaluable knowledge and experience that must be centered in decision-making spaces. They should not only be invited into decision-making forums for nature conservation, but should be recognised as essential leaders whose voices and actions are already shaping the present and future of conservation thus should be given meaningful seats at the table where decisions are being made. 

The Young Professionals group, organized under the IUCN-CEESP Theme on Governance, Equity, and Rights (TGER), has been working on a youth-focused policy initiative. The young professionals hail from different countries from across the globe and bring unique perspectives, lived experiences, and stories on our relationship with nature and the environment. The initiative centers youth voices and stories and focuses on movement and place-making across different geographies. The initiative seeks to understand youth perspectives on the environment, equity, rights and marginalization by following stories and exploring positionalities of young people in the work we (choose to) do.

Through creative and flexible ways (like art, poetry, visuals, maps), the project aims to provide a platform for young professionals to document and record our environmental and conservation journeys. The project will connect stories and perspectives from the places we come from, the places we ended up in, and places we chose to work in.

The "Entrenamiento en Ciudadanía Ambiental" (ECA) by Eco Maxei, launched in 2020 and now in its fifth generation, exemplifies a transformative approach to leadership and justice in environmental advocacy.

The ECA empowers youth and women to lead effectively and advocate for their rights under the Acuerdo de Escazú, demonstrating a redefined approach to leadership that integrates active participation, gender equity, and community support. This innovative program exemplifies how reimagined leadership and justice can be actualized through grassroots initiatives, thereby providing a compelling case for transforming traditional models of environmental and social governance.

The Learning for Governance initiative - a learning network to understand and improve environmental governance

Learning for Governance (LfG) aims to amplify governance stories from across the world and hopes to bring together insights from various places and contexts. In addition, LfG has the objective to provide a platform for documenting and disseminating community leadership and stories.

The Learning for Governance initiative is led by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Commission for Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (IUCN CEESP), under the Theme for Governance, Equity and Rights in collaboration with Melanie Zurba’s Community Engaged CoLab at Dalhousie University. The initiative seeks to build a learning network with diverse practitioners around the world who are taking action to understand and improve environmental governance.

The Caucus’s model of collaborative action and diverse membership illustrates a transformative approach to leadership, where inclusivity and collective decision-making drive meaningful change. Their historic achievements, including the integration of gender justice into global biodiversity frameworks, highlight the critical importance of embedding equity into conservation efforts. 

The CBD Women’s Caucus is a trailblazer in embedding gender justice within biodiversity policies, exemplifying a transformative model of shared leadership. Comprising around 600 members from diverse cultural, age, and professional backgrounds, the Caucus harnesses this rich tapestry of perspectives to drive impactful change in global conservation efforts.

Central to their advocacy is the urgent need to integrate gender equality into biodiversity action. Women and girls play crucial roles in managing and preserving natural resources, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. The Caucus addresses this gap by ensuring that gender considerations are woven into the fabric of biodiversity strategies.

Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) has been a leader in advancing Indigenous leadership in Mi'kma'ki (Atlantic Canada) and has been an important voice for Indigenous self-determination and enhanced roles in natural resource management. Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) has played a major role in advancing Mi’kmaq leadership in natural resource management and seeking to navigate reconciliation processes in Canada. Two primary aspects of UINR’s work are the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and the Jiksitatulti’kw project.

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs)

In 2015, Canada initiated a process to identify and protect 17% of their lands for ecological and heritage values. As a part of that process the Indigenous Circle of Experts (ICE) was established to explore the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) throughout the country. The Mi’kmaq, through Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR), participated in this process. It was recognized that Reconciliation is not just required between diverse elements of society, it is also required more generally between humanity and the environment.

This newsletter aims to convey updates, efforts, and news from our members that relate to the goals of the Commission. 

To contribute to this Newsletter, please email ceespnews@iucn.org

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