ICI Video | The Path is Made by Walking: Indigenous Leadership Advances Inclusive Conservation in Kenya

Indigenous Centered Approaches: Indigenous GovernanceGlobal Applications: Environmental OutcomesGlobal Applications: Largescale FinanceIndigenous Centered Approaches: Territorial Management and PlanningGeographies: Ewaso Ng’iro River BasinType: VideoInclusion: Youth Empowerment and LeadershipMakanisi: ICI Fellows
Written By Jamie Wen

See this video to hear from IMPACT Kenya on how the Inclusive Conservation Initiative is using biocultural maps to secure pastoralist land rights in Kenya, and how ICI is making an impact globally.

When Indigenous pastoralists in northern Kenya gathered to map sacred sites and grazing routes, they weren’t just documenting knowledge — they were redrawing the future of conservation. This is just one story among many in the Inclusive Conservation Initiative’s newly released 2024–25 Achievements and Learning Report.

Spanning 10 territories in 12 countries, the report captures a transformational year where Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities didn’t just participate in conservation — they led it. Supported by the GEF and implemented with CI and IUCN, ICI demonstrated what inclusive conservation finance can look like in practice.

From securing land tenure in Tanzania, to building gender-responsive frameworks in the Amazon, to launching biocultural diploma programs in Mesoamerica — the impacts go beyond hectares and indicators. They are shaping institutions, shifting power, and building a model for rights-based conservation at scale.

The Inclusive Conservation Initiative (ICI) is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and co-implemented by Conservation International (CI) and IUCN.

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Jamie Wen
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We are not beneficiaries of conservation efforts – we are partners