This month in Convivial Conservation

May Issue

May 28, 2025

In this edition, we reflect on the shifting landscapes of conservation, from new imaginaries and tools, to grounded practices of care, resistance, and transformation.

But first…

Convivial Conservation is taking on a new look.

We’re excited to share a message from our logo designer, Swadha Pardesi — a science communication illustrator — on the new colour representing convivial conservation.

Convivial Conservation is rooted in a Whole Earth vision, one that embraces the interconnectedness of people, biodiversity, and place. The chosen brand colour, sienna, reflects this grounded, earthy ethos. While green and blue are widely used in conservation to represent nature and the planet, sienna is meant to evoke our deep relationship with the land. It’s a gentle reminder that conservation is not just about preserving nature, but about living with it, a value that’s at the heart of the convivial approach.

What’s new in Convivial Conservation!

Meet the Change-makers

Shelby Matevich: Cultivating Conservation Through Post-Growth Entrepreneurship

We’re pleased to highlight a recent article by the University of Amsterdam, in which Shelby Matevich introduces her PhD research and reflects on how her work connects with convivial conservation.

Shelby joined the Convivial Conservation Centre in 2022 while studying for a master's degree in degrowth (ICTA-UAB). She recently started a PhD at the University of Amsterdam where she is researching the intersections of post-growth entrepreneurship and biodiversity conservation - a promising new space for convivial conservation ideas to take root!

Although biodiversity is essential for keeping the planet hospitable to human life, it's declining at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, it receives less attention than other crises like climate change. Biodiversity loss is driven by human activity and unsustainable, unequal economic growth. Unless we address these underlying societal issues, conservation efforts will fall short.
– Shelby Matevich

Shelby’s research is rooted in a belief that transformative change, not just technical fixes, is needed to address the biodiversity crisis. What drew her to this line of inquiry was a recognition that entrepreneurship, though rarely discussed in conservation or degrowth spaces, has the potential to spark creative, systemic solutions.

📖 Read more about Shelby’s work in UvA’s recent LinkedIn post, published to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity.

Read the post here

New Convivial Conservation Podcast Episode Out Now!

In this episode of Convivial Conservation Around the Globe, Eliana is joined by Elaine Hsiao, peace and conflict studies scholar and contributor to book Convivial Conservation: From Principle to Practice. We dive into how different forms of peace, negative, liberal, positive, play out in conservation practice, and how these relate to convivial conservation principles. Drawing from Elaine’s research around Akagera National Park, we explore what it means to build inclusive and transformative conservation landscapes.

Tune in to hear how peace theory can guide us toward more just and convivial conservation futures!

Click Here

Just Published: Basic Income for Nature and Climate

We’re excited to share a new paper introducing the idea of a Basic Income for Nature and Climate (BINC), a bold, rights-based mechanism for addressing biodiversity loss, climate change, and social injustice together. BINC builds on the concept of a Conservation Basic Income (CBI), which many of you will recall from a previous newsletter and our podcast episode with Martin Simonneau and Isabel Felandro from Cool Earth, where we explored a pilot CBI initiative in the Peruvian Amazon.

This new article gives the concept a fresh framing as BINC lays out how it could provide direct financial support to people living in conservation-critical areas, offering a just and effective alternative to market-based instruments like ecotourism and carbon offsets, which often exacerbate inequalities.

A timely and important contribution for anyone invested in convivial approaches to conservation.

Read the article here

Let’s talk Convivial!

A Commons Grows in Lutkemeerpolder, Amsterdam.

In a major win for community-led land stewardship, the Voedselpark Amsterdam initiative has secured a lease for over 9 hectares in the Lutkemeerpolder, one of the city’s last fertile agricultural areas. This marks a turning point in the years-long struggle against the development of a 42-hectare industrial estate.

Fourteen local organizations, including farmers, chefs, composters, joined forces to propose a food park that combines agroecology, education, and community care. The site will feature vegetable plots, a food forest, a shared farm kitchen, and open spaces for learning and leisure.

This is not just a local win, but a convivial milestone: communities can reclaim development on their own terms: relational, rooted, and regenerative.

Read the full article here and explore how to support at voedselparkamsterdam.nl

Join the Conversation!

Do you have an inspiring story, study, or unique perspective on convivial conservation? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts with us for a chance to be featured in our next newsletter and across our CC channels. Reach out to us or fill out this form to get involved!

Are you an activist, academic, policymaker, or change-maker (or anything in between)? Put your mark on the map if you're dedicated to advancing a convivial conservation paradigm that reimagines conservation politics, policy, and practice for systemic change!

📍 Join the map:
1️⃣ Click on the “+” in the top right corner of the map.
2️⃣ Introduce yourself, your work, or your journey to convivial conservation—feel free to include a logo or image! Don't forget to add your location.
3️⃣ Submit and hang tight—your entry will be up soon!

Join the map

We are seeking visionary partners who share our commitment to convivial conservation and are eager to co-invest in pioneering approaches to halt biodiversity loss while fostering an equitable and socially just economic transition. Contact us to join Wageningen University, Oak Foundation, TBA21 and others, to fund, initiate and set up programmes through the Convivial Conservation Centre. Together, we can drive meaningful change.

Download our Partnership Proposal here!

That is all for this month! We hope you enjoyed the reading. Keep tuned for the next CC Newsletter issue next month!

To stay connected for updates on news, events, and more, visit our website or contact us here!

Want to know more? Check out these links

The socioeconomics of biodiversity. The value of nature for a sustainable economy and a just society by Reinhard Loske

CBI