GDF Conservation and Communities Fellowship


An online and in-person programme for Global South leaders working at the frontline of conservation

Launched in 2023, the Conservation & Communities Fellowship (CCF) is an integrated programme aimed at strengthening the capacities of Global South grassroots conservation organisations and facilitating their access to Global North funding. CCF provides tailored skills development, leadership growth and network-building for changemakers working at the intersection of conservation and livelihoods.

Why the CCF Now?

“Rights-based, socially just conservation is a rocky path, and particularly tempting to bypass when it seems that large-scale funding for nature is finally being unlocked. But if we do not make a stand now, when the structures, metrics, and approaches for channelling international flows of funding for nature recovery are being developed, inequity will be locked in and ultimately both people and nature will lose.” — E. J. Milner-Gulland

Conservation is at a crossroads. 

Decades of peer-reviewed research, supported by well-documented grassroots experiences, demonstrate that conservation initiatives’ success is dependent on the communities that make their home in biodiverse areas. Community-led conservation is one of the most promising means for addressing the current biodiversity and climate crises. However, mainstream conservation practice is not yet devolving conservation decision-making and leadership to the grassroots.

At the same time, recent research has also shown that conservation funding flows are profoundly inequitable, with only a small proportion of funds going directly to grassroots, community-based conservation organisations. A 2022 report by Maliasili and Synchronicity Earth, entitled Greening the Grassroots, explores the reasons for this inequity. One of the core issues is a capacity gap at the grassroots level in accessing medium- and large-scale grants.

A central pillar of our Conservation Justice Programme, the CCF contributes to the ongoing work of decolonising conservation practices by helping to close the funding-access gap.

Our Methodology and Values 

The CCF offers a curated training programme comprising online workshops, individual mentoring sessions, technical assistance clinics, peer-to-peer learning, an in-person Community Exchange, as well as an internship programme with leading UK universities and diverse networking and outreach opportunities.

Our vision is rooted in:

  • The adoption of contextual approaches, local perspectives and indigenous epistemologies;
  • Direct dialogue between donors, grassroots organisations and community leaders;
  • A community of care and peer-support for conservation leaders across geographical boundaries;
  • Continuous assessment and co-creation with our fellows in the design of our offerings.

 The First Edition and Looking to the Future

“This fellowship arrived at a crucial moment in my professional life. My organisation was struggling to retain staff, and as a director, I felt cornered, unable to find a solution. Your arrival provided the opportunity to be heard, to receive advice, and to gain a broader perspective to overcome the obstacles hindering me and the organisation.” — Karla Dilascio, CCF cohort 2024

CCF 2024 Highlights in Numbers

  • 10-month programme
  • 31 fellows from 19 countries
  • 56 online sessions around three streams: Capacities & Capabilities, Leading Beyond Authority and Mentoring
  • 8-day in-person programme in Morocco (3 days of Community Exchange & 5 days at the International Society of Ethnobiology Congress 2024)
  • 3 panel sessions led by CCF fellows at the International Society of Ethnobiology Congress 2024
  • 11 internships of UK-based graduate students within fellows’ organisations
  • 1 collective publication

The second edition of the CCF builds and learns from the first one, making some subtle changes to the overall learning journey while maintaining some of the pillars of its success.

  • A 5-month programme: We have shortened the fellowship, focusing on a more intense learning experience without sacrificing depth and impact.
  • A cohort of 24 fellows: After evaluating the first edition, we have reduced the cohort size to 24 fellows. This allows greater individual attention, ensuring that each fellow receives the support needed for their growth.

Interwoven and Interdependent Learning Streams

Capabilities & Capacities Stream focuses on technical skills including proposal writing, project management, and team management. It centres spaces for peer-learning and exchange, alongside intensive individual mentoring from experienced conservation and NGO leaders.

Leading Beyond Authority Stream enhances fellows’ capacities to engage with diverse stakeholders, lead their organisation through growth and build communities of cooperation and collaboration through dialogues with key conservation sector actors. 

Mentoring Stream trains fellows in the art of mentoring to enhance their management and relationship-building through a process of individual and relational growth. They are organised into active and supportive peer-mentoring pairs that last well beyond the fellowship.

Communities and Conservation Stream is a new stream, included at the request of fellows, to offer a space for critical dialogue and debate around policies, practices and public discourses on the topic of community-based conservation, with varied speakers and tailored workshops. 

“One of the most important things I learned during my participation in the CCF Mentoring Stream was the immense benefit of mentoring. As a conservation leader juggling numerous responsibilities, being a mentee felt like a therapeutic session. It provided me with a much-needed space for reflection and support, helping me navigate the challenges and responsibilities of my role more effectively. Moreover, it also enhanced my capacity as a leader, as I learned how to apply mentoring techniques to support and empower my own team.” 

Reyni Palohoen, CCF Cohort 2024

The In-person Community Exchange

A thoughtfully curated gathering focused on cohort-building, peer-learning and seeding long-term collaborations among fellows.

Read more about the 2024 Community Exchange in Morocco here.

Bridging Theory and Practice: Graduate Internships

We fund 5 to 10 internships for graduate students within fellows’ organisations during each fellowship. These research-oriented internships help drive the organisations’ growth and expand their research horizons, while also offering students real-life insight and embodied learning around the challenges of grassroots conservation practice.

Read more about Sam Rees’s experience with ABOYERD in Cameroon here.

Voices from the Edges: Collective Publishing Practices

We offer learnings around public storytelling and crafting compelling narratives. A cohort publication is then produced to showcase the fellows’ invaluable contributions to shaping the future of the field.

Our Land, Our Stories: Voices from the Edges [spread]

Dig into the first curated story collection of fellows from the 2024 cohort here! Entitled “Our Land, Our Stories: Voices from the Edges” and developed with Project In/Visibility, this collection intertwines the poetic with the political to amplify their voices in recognition of the vital and brave role they play in sustaining our planet.

OUR PARTNERS

Common Purpose is a global not-for-profit on a mission to develop people who can cross cultural, institutional and social boundaries. Both at work and in society, they deliver compelling, surprising, and powerful leadership programmes and workshops.

The Human Edge operates on the belief that effective mentoring empowers individuals and organisations to go further, faster. By enabling leaders to unlock their human potential, they can better lead others and support their communities to fulfil their potential.

The CCF is one of the pillars of the GDF’s Conservation Justice Programme (CJP), which consolidates decades of our work in community-based conservation by focusing on direct and tailored support for Global Majority grassroots leaders and campaigners who are protecting the remaining refuges of biodiversity, defending their territories and waters from the ravages of late-stage capitalism and advocating for their rights to determine conservation futures in their homes.

The CJP is a multilayered and integrated ecosystem of programmes that offer a comprehensive and powerful infrastructure for knowledge sharing, community learnings and network building.

Alongside the Conservation and Communities Fellowship, the CJP comprises three upcoming programmes: the Grassroots Leadership Programme, the Alumni Programme and the Conservation Futures open-ended inquiry.

STAY TUNED: 

We will update this page and our social media channels about the application process for CCF 2025 in December 2024.