Ethical Conservation Alliance

The Ethical Conservation Alliance (ECA) was founded in 2023 to challenge and transform the way nature conservation is practiced in large parts of the world, making it more effective and ethical. ECA was created by conservation practitioners and Indigenous leaders from around the world to promote an ethical, just, and inclusive model of nature conservation. It acknowledges the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in protecting biodiversity and ensuring that conservation efforts are led by those most connected to natural ecosystems.  

Working across 42 countries with 52 member organisations, and sitting under the International Snow Leopard Trust, ECA leads training sessions on ethical conservation, centred around 8 core guidelines – presence, aptness, respect, transparency, negotiation, empathy, responsiveness, and strategic support. They've trained over 750 conservationists through 35 training sessions and launched a toolkit on conflict management, addressing common human-wildlife conflicts and providing conservationists with tools to navigate them ethically and collaboratively. 

A snow leopard walking across a rocky mountain region. © Snow Leopard Trust, NCF-India.

Outside of leading these trainings, ECA directly supports IPLCs through multiple funding and awareness programmes. The team supports three community-centric small grants projects across Nepal, Bhutan, and Kazakhstan fostering coexistence between local communities and snow leopards in cohabitated areas.  

ECA also provides travel bursaries for IPLCs, helping to ensure Indigenous presence at international conservation congresses. The team also advocates for necessity of IPLC-led conservation efforts and organisations, with policy advisories being submitted to the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program to better ensure ethical collaboration between organisations and IPLCs.