Phase I of this learning initiative highlighted the need for the conservation community to continue learning about how to incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) principles into their conservation efforts. Because this is a relatively new conversation within the community, it was difficult to determine which tools or products would best serve CMP. After consulting with experts, it became clear that the first step needs to be an internal strategic plan that will provide direction to our efforts and galvanize CMP’s broad membership base, who may be in different stages of thinking about this topic.
The DEIJ survey conducted in Phase II was designed to gather information that will help map the current thinking and efforts around DEIJ within the CMP community. The data should allow the CMP Equity team to conduct an initial situation analysis, consider the known barriers to organizational uptake of DEIJ in their conservation projects, and design strategies and tools with clear audiences and objectives. Long term, this will make it possible to coordinate efforts between CMP members, recruit expert advice and input, and strengthen the next version of CS guidance by incorporating actionable DEIJ considerations into each Step. An added benefit of the survey is that it has provided an in-road for generating interest in collaborating on this topic among the CS community. 13 respondents expressed interest in supporting future work on this initiative. At a recent webinar at the CCNet Rally, five coaches expressed interest in joining or supporting the Equity Committee. Involving these new voices will be extremely important as we move into the next phase of strategic planning.
All final products of this CMP Collaborative Learning Initiative can be found on the CMP workspace.
