What Belize Can Teach Us about Grassroots Conservation

Abstract

"Billions of dollars and decades of work have been expended on conservation projects that have yielded few tangible results. It is now time for the conservation community to adopt an approach that works. Small community-led conservation projects have emerged as a powerful mechanism to protect wildlife and natural areas. These projects operate at a local scale, on relatively small budgets, give responsibility to the community as resource managers, are flexible and socially sustainable, and have a high rate of success. This article features examples from projects that the organization Community Conservation has participated in in Belize and India, where communities banded together to protect local endangered species. Community conservation offers an unprecedented opportunity for conservation organizations to save species and lands."