Design for Conservation (D4C): nurturing distributed, decolonial and participatory action

So far, Design for Conservation is the main outcome of a research project, mostly funded by The University of Auckland in New Zealand.

The world is currently facing urgent, widespread challenges that demand innovative approaches to environmental conservation. With the window to tackle climate change rapidly closing, there's a critical need for distributed, place-based communities to devise conservation strategies independently, utilizing their local resources. Despite acknowledging the importance of local communities in stewarding conservation solutions, many initiatives are still primarily led by external experts and resources. This external approach often involves many stakeholders beyond the community, such as policymakers, scientists, and funders. However, outcomes are often superficial and short-lived, overlooking crucial factors like community narratives, resource utilization, economic necessities, and cultural sensitivities. Consequently, this approach can lead to community disenfranchisement and limited engagement in the long term.

Statistics reveal the severity of these challenges. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global temperatures have risen by approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial period. Additionally, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that global wildlife populations have declined by an alarming 68% since 1970. These statistics underscore the urgent need for effective conservation efforts that operate beyond technical levels, and become deeply rooted in the culture of local communities. Biodiversity loss is an urgent, global challenge that requires new paradigms of being and relating to each other and our natural environment, and in doing so, operating from a foundational level (mental models) through a relational level (human connections, interdisciplinarity) and into a practices level (technical/tangible solutions). 

Personally, I struggled during my Engineering PhD because the acceptable methodologies were insufficient and limited, making room only for the technical, western paradigms of science. This did not reflect the multiple layers of environmental conservation and did not place importance on having a strong, genuinely bonded community and strong ties to the place. After facilitating participatory Design (co-design) stances with diverse groups of stakeholders, I realized that most teams either have the technical expertise (e.g. carbon footprinting, ecology) or have the spiritual, relational, more human-level approach. However, the methodologies don't usually leave room for both approaches in a holistic work experience.

Recognizing the limitations of current conservation methodologies, we can see that Design methodologies offer a promising pathway for enhancing community involvement in conservation efforts. By facilitating collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including local communities, scientists, policymakers, and funders, design approaches can ensure that conservation strategies are more inclusive and reflective of community needs. Design methodologies emphasize agility, testing-by-doing, and learning from mistakes, enabling conservation projects to adapt effectively to evolving environmental and social contexts. In particular, participatory design actively involves the people most affected by the problems in the design process. 

In summary, the urgent need for widespread conservation strategies demands a paradigm shift towards holistic approaches that benefit from indigenous knowledge and ways of being. We need methods that uplift decolonial conservation by providing user-friendly tools that purposefully integrate spiritual, relational elements into the conservation project, allowing multiple worldviews to coexist with mainstream Western approaches. 

Design for Conservation (D4C) presents a novel methodology to tackle environmental challenges through participatory collaboration. D4C emphasizes connection and offers steps for conservation projects across five non-linear stages: (Re)Connect, Understand, Propose and Validate, Plan for Impact, and Deploy Sustainably. At its core, the (Re)Connect stage is a guiding star, ensuring alignment with project values and connection to ourselves, our community and the land. Across these 5 stages, 21 tools for sustainable innovation are provided through an online platform.

D4C diverges from traditional Western conservation approaches by integrating relational, cultural and spiritual dimensions alongside technical solutions. Each stage offers a toolbox with guidance on difficulty, time allocation, and materials, focusing on maintaining alignment with overarching goals. The methodology adopts an agile-to-deep iterative approach, allowing flexibility in goal-setting and fostering deeper insights over successive cycles. The methodology balances hard work, self-reflection and play, providing the space and time for genuine relationship building, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the resulting conservation project.

Central to D4C is its commitment to decolonizing conservation practices by challenging dominant social paradigms. Recognizing the influence of Western perspectives, it advocates for pluriversal approaches that embrace diverse worldviews and Indigenous knowledge. Inclusivity and collaboration among stakeholders from diverse backgrounds are prioritized, with the methodology offering a flexible framework adaptable to specific contexts.

Highly curated visual canvases facilitate expressive communication, while spiritual elements hilight the holistic nature of conservation efforts. Guiding mindsets provide overarching values, supporting the methodology's inclusive ethos and fostering collaborative innovation. 

In synthesis, the D4C methodology can foster distributed, decolonial innovation, ultimately advancing sustainability goals and ensuring a more climate-resilient future for our planet. The final D4C toolkit is currently an open-access web platform, enabling widespread dissemination and feedback collection. You can visit it at www.design4conservation.com 

Conservation issues are complex and multi-layered; in many cases, small grassroots organizations closest to the problem do not have the tools to design a plan of action that could lead to the desired conservation outcomes with the available resources and within a reasonable time frame. We mean to serve this population, and make it easier for them to carry out their conservation initiatives successfully. 

The general objective of this project was to co-design conservation-centered tools that are adaptable and versatile enough to fit any project and context while allowing customization concerning place and culture. So far, I have seen the toolkit used by conservation groups that want to formalise their status and be able to scale up, apply for larger funding, establish a more structured plan, or be able to report impact to their funders. Our tools are also used for facilitation in other settings (e.g. sustainable transportation). 

D4C is intentionally flexible and adaptable, empowering participants to chart their own course. Rather than imposing predetermined solutions, it offers a framework for exploration and innovation, fostering bottom-up problem-solving. The step-by-step roadmap aims to provide an initial structure, which can be broken or modified once the teams gain familiarity. By providing tools rather than prescriptive solutions, D4C aims to enable and empower diverse groups to develop their own responses to conservation challenges.

The methodology endeavors to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders, acknowledging that expertise in conservation extends beyond traditional scientific roles. Local community members, intimately connected to their environments and bearing the brunt of local consequences, are regarded as experts by lived experience. By facilitating partnerships between these experts, scientists, educators, policymakers, and others, D4C advocates for a transdisciplinary approach to conservation problem-solving. Organizers of D4C workshops are encouraged to bring together representatives from these sectors to collectively address the local ramifications of climate change challenges.

The methodology underscores the importance of a localized, decolonized approach to addressing grand challenges. It recognizes the value of diverse place-based solutions contributing to a resilient global network. Emphasizing the significance of place, D4C elicits valuable insights and cultivates the motivation and commitment necessary for seeking sustainable, locally-sourced solutions adaptable to disruptions through decentralized decision-making.

Ultimately, the impact of the D4C toolkit will be assessed based on the collaborative projects it facilitates and sustains. Moreover, the project aims to demonstrate the efficacy of holistic methodologies in addressing environmental challenges within traditional Western institutions. By embracing diverse perspectives and encouraging collaboration, D4C embodies the potential for distributed change in conservation practices, paving the way for a more inclusive and effective approach to environmental stewardship.

I have been a Design strategist, researcher and educator focused on Conservation, Sustainability and Social Innovation for 15+ years. I am an Industrial Designer with a Master from Politécnico di Milano and a PhD in Environmental Engineering, always working at the intersection between people and the natural environment.

In the last 4 years, I have been one of the founding members of the Purpose-driven Design program at the University of Auckland. I am currently the Associate Dean of Sustainability for the Creative Arts and Industries Faculty. The Design for Conservation project came naturally as a way to consolidate a set of tools I had been developing for facilitation and education throughout my career. Most of the tools build upon existing, open-access tools and methods used in Design Thinking and Environmental Engineering. These have been customized to place the environment as the most important stakeholder in the process and to balance work, play, relating, and feeling.

While developing this project, I collaborated with specialists and academics, from ecologists, veterinarians, policy specialists, community leaders, and indigenous environmental stewards (you can see some of them in HTTPS ://www.design4conservation.com/team). However, now that the project has ended, I no longer have a team. - I could recruit the right people if I had the funding to scale this project. 

Being based in Aotearoa New Zealand, this project has mostly worked closely with the local communities of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Many of the tools have been customized to observe multicultural partnerships, and NZ has been a leader in this through The "Treaty of Waitangi". While these learnings have informed me how to work in a bicultural setting, I have intentionally removed references to NZ or Māori from the methodology for it to suit any other place and culture in the world. 

For example, in the project's first year, we decided to focus on the restoration of the Hauraki Gulf Ecosystem because it is geographically close to the university campus and because we collaborated with experts from the Marine Sciences faculty. However one of our main stakeholders was the  "Hauraki Watershed Group", led by community stakeholders such as Iwi (Māori tribes) representatives, policymakers, citizens, scientists, industry, and academia.

This method is expected to open the methodological conversations to different voices and literacy levels. Specifically for New Zealand, the D4C workshops seek to build trans-disciplinary knowledge between Western scientific paradigms and Mātauranga Māori,hopefully opening the path to other Indigenous approaches, worldviews, or knowledge systems. While I am not Māori, I am strongly bound to Mother Earth, and this is the force that drives me (and many other people) to do my best to protect her. 

The methodology is offered in a web platform, and it includes 5 stages and 21 tried and tested tools. There are 4 instructional videos as well. The analytics from the Design 4 Conservation website indicate that there have been 729 downloads of the toolkit and 2458 platform sessions. The toolkit has reached all 8 continents, users come from 216 cities in 51 countries. This demonstrates international interest and initial impact.

I believe that Solve can play a pivotal role in helping me overcome these barriers by connecting our educational platform and consulting team with partners who can provide both monetary and non-monetary support. Financial support from Solve partners could enable me to invest in platform development, hire expert consultants, or market our educational services effectively. Additionally, technical support in the form of educational technology expertise, instructional design guidance, or curriculum development assistance could enhance the quality and reach of our educational offerings. Legal support may involve guidance on intellectual property protection, contract negotiation, or compliance with educational regulations. Cultural support could foster inclusive partnerships with diverse communities ensuring that our educational content and consulting services are culturally relevant and respectful. Lastly, market support might involve assistance in developing sustainable business models, accessing clients in the conservation sector, or marketing our educational platform and consulting services effectively.

By leveraging Solve's network of partners and resources, I aim to address and overcome the multifaceted barriers inherent in developing an educational platform and providing consulting services in the field of project facilitation. Through collaboration and support from Solve and its partners, I would like to have a small team to advance these educational initiatives and consulting work, ultimately contributing to environmental sustainability and conservation efforts worldwide.

D4C diverges from traditional Western conservation approaches by integrating relational, cultural and spiritual dimensions alongside technical solutions.

Central to D4C is its commitment to decolonizing conservation practices by challenging dominant social paradigms. Recognizing the influence of Western perspectives, it advocates for pluriversal approaches that embrace diverse worldviews and Indigenous knowledge. Inclusivity and collaboration among stakeholders from diverse backgrounds are prioritized, with the methodology offering a flexible framework adaptable to specific contexts.

The key innovative elements of the methodology are:

• Decolonization: Challenging dominant social paradigms and embracing diverse worldviews, D4C advocates for pluriversal approaches, prioritizing inclusivity and collaboration.

• Flexibility and Adaptability: Empowering participants to customize solutions to fit specific contexts, D4C fosters bottom-up innovation and decentralized decision-making.

• Transdisciplinary Collaboration: Recognizing the expertise of diverse stakeholders, D4C promotes genuine relationships between community members, scientists, policymakers, and educators, facilitating decentralised and conservation problem-solving.

Ultimately, the impact of the D4C toolkit will be assessed based on the collaborative projects it facilitates and sustains. Moreover, the project aims to demonstrate the efficacy of holistic methodologies in addressing environmental challenges within traditional Western institutions. By embracing diverse perspectives and encouraging collaboration, D4C embodies the potential for distributed change in conservation practices, paving the way for a more inclusive and effective approach to environmental stewardship.

Below is a simple ToC for this project:

Vision: D4C envisions a future where conservation efforts are led by distributed and diverse communities, incorporating local knowledge and values, resulting in resilient climate change adaptation and sustainable practices globally.

Goal: To empower grassroots organizations and diverse stakeholders to collaboratively address conservation challenges using user-friendly, adaptable and inclusive methodologies.

Pathway of Change:

1. (Re)Connect: By prioritizing connection to self, community, and land, D4C establishes a foundation aligned with project values, fostering genuine relationships and shared purpose in the working team.

2. Understand: Through conventional, and unconventional processes, stakeholders gain comprehensive insights into conservation issues, leveraging diverse perspectives to inform holistic problem-solving.

3. Propose and Validate: D4C facilitates developing and assessing innovative solutions, integrating technical expertise with relational, cultural, and spiritual dimensions, ensuring consistent alignment with project goals.

4. Plan for Impact: The methodology supports the creation of sustainable action plans, monitoring impact, emphasizing localization, adaptability, and bottom-up decision-making, promoting long-term conservation outcomes.

5. Deploy Sustainably: D4C encourages iterative implementation, and replication, fostering continuous learning and adaptation, while promoting collaboration among stakeholders to address glocal ramifications of climate change challenges.

Indicators of Success:

• Collaborative Projects: Measured by the number and impact of conservation initiatives facilitated by D4C, demonstrating the effectiveness of inclusive methodologies in achieving sustainability goals.

• Institutional Change: Evaluated by the adoption of holistic approaches within traditional Western institutions, showcasing the transformative potential of diverse perspectives in conservation practices.

Long-Term Impact:

D4C aims to contribute to a more inclusive, resilient, and effective approach to environmental stewardship, fostering distributed change in conservation practices and paving the way for climate change adaptation.

We currently have very little impact data about the toolkit, apart from website analytics that measure tool downloads and session times by country/city and user (Breadth). However, we do not know if the tools have been applied and their efficacy. By collecting analytics about "depth" and "target" we would be able to have a more informed picture of the impact.

Breadth:

1. Number of practitioners and type of organisation: Measure the breadth of D4C's impact by tracking the number of grassroots organizations, governmental bodies, academic institutions, and community groups engaged in conservation projects facilitated by D4C.

2. Geographic Coverage: Assess the breadth of D4C's reach by monitoring the geographic distribution of projects, including the number of regions, countries, and ecosystems where D4C initiatives are implemented.

Depth:

1. Depth of Community Engagement: Measure the depth of impact by evaluating the level of community involvement and empowerment in D4C projects, including indicators such as community leadership roles, decision-making authority, and capacity building activities.

2. Ecosystem Resilience: Assess the depth of D4C's impact on ecosystem health and resilience by monitoring indicators such as biodiversity metrics, habitat restoration progress, and ecosystem services provided.

Target:

1. Percentage Increase in Local Conservation Capacity: Set targets for the percentage increase in the capacity of local organizations and communities to design, implement, and monitor conservation initiatives independently, as a result of using the D4C toolkit.

In the future, we intend to measure our progress toward the impact goals listed below using several indicators:

1. Number of Collaborative Projects Facilitated: Track the number of conservation initiatives initiated through D4C, assessing their scope, effectiveness, and sustainability.

2. Adoption of Holistic Approaches: Evaluate the extent to which traditional Western institutions adopt holistic methodologies advocated by D4C, indicating shifts towards more inclusive and effective conservation practices.

3. Community Engagement and Empowerment: Measure the level of engagement and empowerment among local communities using the methodology, assessing their active participation and ownership in conservation efforts.

4. Long-Term Sustainability: We monitor the long-term impact of D4C projects on ecosystem resilience, biodiversity conservation, and community well-being, ensuring sustained positive outcomes beyond the project lifecycle.

The core technology powering our solution, Design for Conservation (D4C), is a comprehensive facilitation methodology enhanced by modern and traditional knowledge systems. Utilizing design thinking techniques, gamification, and highly visual props, D4C creates safe spaces for diverse worldviews to collaborate on conservation initiatives. This methodology acknowledges the successful conservation practices of indigenous and traditional communities, bridging Western approaches with ancestral knowledge. D4C offers an Agile-to-Deep spiral pathway, allowing users to customize their engagement based on resources and time constraints, fostering iterative problem-solving. Currently delivered through a website platform, D4C provides access to methods, tools, templates, and instructional videos for users worldwide.

This methodology has been developed following in-depth research and built upon existing successful Design Thinking (DT) techniques, customizing, combining and communicating them in a new way. I have published two peer-reviewed papers that describe the process of developing, testing, and deploying this methodology. Additionally, I have taught this in-depth during four cycles (of a semester each) at the University of Auckland. I have also offered numerous workshops and shorter courses about this methodology. Finally, I have applied this methodology as a facilitator across numerous projects. 

You can read the whole process here https://www.researchgate.net/p...

You can also read more here https://www.researchgate.net/p...

The Design for Conservation toolkit is te main output of a research project mostly funded by te University of Auckland. I ave been leading this project and have ad some collaborators over time (such as research assistants) who are not currently affiliated to the solution and do not have copy rights for te toolkit (with the exception of one tool, the "Maramataka Calendar"). Therefore, I am currently the only team member.

4 years (part time)

My team of collaborators has been quite diverse, growing organically, in general involving more women than men. During this research project, workshops and educational stances we have collaborated with:

- Indigenous communities (Māori of new Zealand and Pacific Islanders)

- NGO's

- Consulting companies

- Government institutions

- Post-Graduate students

- Under-Graduate students

- Scientists and educators

- Schools

The toolkit is free to download and accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

So far this project has been funded by research grants and my time as a researcher and educator at The University of Auckland. 

Below is a breakdown of the business model for Design for Conservation as a social enterprise:

**Key Partners:**
- Non-profit organizations: Collaborate with NGOs to expand reach and facilitate conservation projects.
- Academic institutions: Partner with universities to offer courses and workshops on the methodology.
- Stakeholders: Engage with diverse stakeholders, including communities, governments, and conservation experts, to ensure relevance and effectiveness of the methodology.

**Key Activities:**
- Curriculum Development: Continuously develop and update educational materials, including online courses and workshops.
- Facilitation Consulting: Provide consulting services to organizations and communities implementing conservation projects using the methodology.
- Outreach and Engagement: Conduct outreach efforts to raise awareness and promote the methodology globally.

**Value Proposition:**
- Comprehensive Methodology: Offer a step-by-step methodology for participatory environmental projects, providing tools and educational resources.
- Accessibility: Make the methodology and toolkit available online for free, enabling anyone to download and use them.
- Expertise and Support: Provide training, guidance, and consulting services to support organizations and individuals in implementing the methodology effectively.

**Customer Segments:**
- Environmental NGOs: Seek tools and guidance for designing and implementing conservation projects.
- Academic Institutions: Desire educational resources and training for students and professionals in environmental fields.
- Government Agencies: Require support in developing and implementing environmental policies and initiatives.
- Individuals: Interested in learning about and contributing to environmental conservation efforts.

**Revenue Streams:**
- Course Sales: Generate revenue by selling online courses and workshops on the methodology.
- Consulting Fees: Charge fees for providing facilitation consulting services to organizations and communities.
- Donations and Grants: Seek funding from donors and grant-making organizations to support ongoing operations and initiatives.

**Cost Structure:**
- Curriculum Development: Invest in creating and updating educational materials, including course content and instructional resources.
- Marketing and Outreach: Allocate resources for promoting the methodology and attracting customers.
- Operations: Cover expenses related to administration, technology, and infrastructure to support business activities.

**Channels:**
- Online Platform: Utilize a website and online learning management system to deliver courses, workshops, and educational resources.
- Partnerships: Collaborate with NGOs, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to reach target audiences and promote the methodology.
- Social Media and Marketing: Leverage social media platforms, email marketing, and other digital channels to raise awareness and attract customers.

Overall, the business model for Design for Conservation as a social enterprise aims to provide value to customers and beneficiaries through accessible educational resources, expert support, and consulting services while generating revenue to ensure sustainability and scalability of the initiative.

To achieve financial sustainability, I plan to establish a social enterprise embedded within a non-profit organization. This entity will offer educational services to individuals and organizations through online and hybrid courses, as well as facilitation consulting services utilizing the Design for Conservation methodology. By selling these services for profit, the social enterprise aims to generate revenue to cover expenses while also offering scholarships and discounted consulting to ensure accessibility for all.

To date, I have developed the project using small research grants from The University of Auckland, totaling around 30,000 NZD. These grants have allowed me to test different tools and engage external stakeholders, disseminating the project within academic and non-profit sectors. I have also been leveraging my teaching and research time to further refine the methodology and expand its reach.

The success of this plan will be measured by the revenue generated through course sales and consulting services, as well as the number of scholarships and discounted services provided to underserved communities. Additionally, feedback from clients and stakeholders on the effectiveness and accessibility of the services offered will serve as evidence of the social enterprise's impact and financial sustainability.