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Diversifying Voices in Biodiversity Conservation: Strategies for Community Participation in Biodiversity Governance in Kenya

Migliorini, Livia LU (2025) MIDM19 20251
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
This thesis explores how inclusive biodiversity governance can deliver socially and environmentally beneficial outcomes, focusing on the role of NGOs and CSOs in facilitating participation by local communities and Indigenous Peoples in Kenya. Drawing on qualitative interviews, project documents, and media content, the study explores what strategies are used to foster participation in a project by WWF, what challenges hinder meaningful inclusion, and pathways to mitigate challenges and achieve equitable, inclusive governance. Findings show that NGOs and CSOs play a crucial bridging role by building local capacity, empowering community champions, enabling dialogue with duty-bearers, and amplifying community voices in policy advocacy. CSOs... (More)
This thesis explores how inclusive biodiversity governance can deliver socially and environmentally beneficial outcomes, focusing on the role of NGOs and CSOs in facilitating participation by local communities and Indigenous Peoples in Kenya. Drawing on qualitative interviews, project documents, and media content, the study explores what strategies are used to foster participation in a project by WWF, what challenges hinder meaningful inclusion, and pathways to mitigate challenges and achieve equitable, inclusive governance. Findings show that NGOs and CSOs play a crucial bridging role by building local capacity, empowering community champions, enabling dialogue with duty-bearers, and amplifying community voices in policy advocacy. CSOs also fill capacity and accountability gaps with duty-bearers like local governments, judges, and rangers. However, participation remains largely mediated, reliant on political goodwill, and confined to invited spaces – limiting the opportunities for direct community representation and influence. By combining insights from environmental governance and critical participation theory, this study highlights the importance of multistakeholder deliberative processes in fostering more inclusive governance; however, without power-redistribution, their transformative potential remains limited. Achieving inclusive biodiversity governance will require deeper recognition of local agency and power-sharing. Tensions remain about contested meanings of community and how NGOs can challenge structural power dynamics. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Migliorini, Livia LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Inclusive conservation, biodiversity governance, participation, Indigenous Peoples, NGOs, Kenya
language
English
id
9200649
date added to LUP
2025-06-17 08:42:14
date last changed
2025-06-17 08:42:14
@misc{9200649,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how inclusive biodiversity governance can deliver socially and environmentally beneficial outcomes, focusing on the role of NGOs and CSOs in facilitating participation by local communities and Indigenous Peoples in Kenya. Drawing on qualitative interviews, project documents, and media content, the study explores what strategies are used to foster participation in a project by WWF, what challenges hinder meaningful inclusion, and pathways to mitigate challenges and achieve equitable, inclusive governance. Findings show that NGOs and CSOs play a crucial bridging role by building local capacity, empowering community champions, enabling dialogue with duty-bearers, and amplifying community voices in policy advocacy. CSOs also fill capacity and accountability gaps with duty-bearers like local governments, judges, and rangers. However, participation remains largely mediated, reliant on political goodwill, and confined to invited spaces – limiting the opportunities for direct community representation and influence. By combining insights from environmental governance and critical participation theory, this study highlights the importance of multistakeholder deliberative processes in fostering more inclusive governance; however, without power-redistribution, their transformative potential remains limited. Achieving inclusive biodiversity governance will require deeper recognition of local agency and power-sharing. Tensions remain about contested meanings of community and how NGOs can challenge structural power dynamics.}},
  author       = {{Migliorini, Livia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Diversifying Voices in Biodiversity Conservation: Strategies for Community Participation in Biodiversity Governance in Kenya}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}