New paper on decolonising conservation and IPLC governance in India

[Garima Gupta]

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to share our new paper recently published in Conservation Letters:

“Decolonizing Conservation and the importance of Nature-based Approaches not Solutions: learning from Indigenous and Local Conservation Systems in India to achieve the Global Biodiversity Agenda”

The paper examines how Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in India continue to face systemic exclusion from global environmental governance despite generations of biodiversity stewardship. Through four case studies from India — including the Idu Mishmi, Bishnoi communities, Van Panchayats, and sacred groves — we highlight how deeply rooted conservation systems are embedded within cultural values, spiritual beliefs, and local governance traditions.

We argue that dominant technocratic framings of Nature-based Solutions often overlook culturally grounded conservation systems and relational approaches to nature practiced by IPLCs. The paper calls for reparative justice, stronger recognition of IPLC governance systems, and equitable access to conservation finance, particularly across Global South countries and South Asia.

The paper is available here: (also attaching a copy)
https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/con4.70060

I hope this paper contributes meaningfully to ongoing discussions on decolonising conservation, nature-based approaches, environmental justice, biodiversity governance, and Indigenous and local knowledge systems.

Warm regards,
Garima Gupta