Coexistence Consortium
The Coexistence Consortium is an organization that aims to promote human-wildlife coexistence and a more holistic, inclusive, and just approach to nature conservation.[1] They define coexistence as a sustainable though dynamic state, where humans and wildlife co-adapt to sharing landscapes.[1]
The consortium is composed of ecologists, anthropologists, geographers, and conservationists with extensive knowledge and experience in human-wildlife coexistence. Their mission is to gain deeper insights into coexistence between humans and nature by supporting a range of context-specific coexistence projects around the world.[1]
They believe that successful coexistence requires local empowerment through partnerships and needs to be grounded in empathy, taking into account human rights and animal welfare.[1] They also emphasize the importance of rethinking privilege, normative ideas, and practices in conservation.[1]
The consortium acknowledges that coexistence is increasingly vital as animals and people are interacting perhaps more than ever before. However, they also recognize the challenges, particularly when large and dangerous animals can cause considerable damage, especially to already disempowered and vulnerable local communities.[1] Therefore, they advocate for better management of human-wildlife shared spaces to balance the needs of people and wild animals.[1]