The Center for Collaborative Conservation at Colorado State University is currently seeking applicants interested in receiving funding to plan and implement a meaningful project, delve into the practice of collaborative conservation, and join a community of practice.
The Collaborative Conservation Fellows Program (Fellows Program) is a program for leadership and on-the-ground experience. During the Program, Fellows learn and apply the practices that are the hallmark of successful collaborative conservation. Information about the programs and how to apply is online at https://collaborativeconservation.org/learn/fellows-program/.
Conservation practitioners, graduate students, and faculty are all encouraged to apply by the Oct. 21, 2022 deadline.
The Center for Collaborative Conservation (CCC) was established in CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources in 2008 to inform, promote, and support collaboration on meaningful conservation issues across Colorado, the American West, and the world.
As detailed in the 10-year review of the program, past Fellows report that the experience is gratifying, impactful, and enjoyable, and calling participating in the program among their most impactful career moments. Past Fellows’ projects includes 27 countries and 17 Native American nations.
CCC’s most recent cohort ( https://collaborativeconservation.org/learn/fellows-program/fellows-cohort-12/) is made up of ten fellows pursuing five collaborative conservation projects with communities across the globe, including:
- New Mexico, restoring watershed health to the Rio Grande River corridor while protecting and enriching Pueblo culture
- Tanzania, conducting an Indigenous community assessment of problematic plants through citizen science
- Colombia, facilitating participatory actions to implement juridically declared GMO-Free Territories that protect local livelihoods and biodiversity
- India, incorporating dynamic community-based solutions to address human–elephant conflict
- Guatemala, researching the role of Indigenous community-led land stewardship in shaping mammal conservation.
The CCC is hosting three Virtual Information Sessions to share more and answer any applicants’ questions.
- 4 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 27. Register here.
- Noon to 1 p.m. on Sept. 29,. Register here.
- 4 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 6,. Register here.
Interested parties should assemble their team, develop a project idea, then create a Project Pitch, to be submitted to Allison.brody@colostate.edu by Oct. 21, 2022. A detailed Request for Proposals on the CCC website.
The RFP explains how to apply, what to expect from the Fellows Program, and considerations for the project design. CCC is especially interested in projects that include sustained collaborative engagement that would take place over the course of multiple years, or that involve multiple Fellows working on distinct aspects of an issue. The selection team is also interested in stand-alone collaborative conservation projects which can be completed in 18 months by an individual or small team. All proposed projects should seek innovative and locally driven solutions to conservation problems.
