Special Issue on Toward a Diverse Conservations Inventory: Ethnobiologists, Communities, and Collaboration

This Ethnobiology Letters special issue inventories what we call “diverse conservations” (inspired by J.K. Gibson-Graham). It was developed from a panel at the Anthropology and Conservation conference co-hosted by the Royal Anthropological Institute and the Society of Ethnobiology in October 2021. We open with a research perspective on “doing conservation differently,” and then offer six case studies, all of which challenge mainstream biodiversity conservation’s exclusionary and “fortress”-like preservation measures. The concluding perspective explores the broader social and epistemological implications of reconfiguring biodiversity conservation. Collectively, we hope the special issue can open new spaces for ethical intervention and inspire collaborative conservation grounded in indigenous and local knowledge.

Co-editors: Maria Bruno, Molly Carney, Andrew Flachs, and Janelle Baker
Reviews Editor: Cory Whitney
Editorial Assistants: Andrew D. Gillreath-Brown, Marc Morris, and William J. Damitio

Cover image: Undergraduate students from the United States studying conservation by walking and learning with Costa Rican teachers. Photograph by Daniela Shebitz in Summer 2015.