FREE, PRIOR, INFORMED CONSENT FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Learn a structured process for working with communities on conservation decisions that affect their land, resources, and way of life

LEARN HOW TO

  • Apply the core elements of FPIC, free, prior, and informed, as the standard a consent process must meet.
  • Determine whether a community is Indigenous Peoples or a local community, and what that means for how FPIC applies.
  • Identify and assess the potential effects of conservation activities on a community's access, culture, economy, and knowledge systems.
  • Define a means of engagement that reflects the community's own customs, governance, and decision-making.
  • Build a shared knowledge base with the community before moving into negotiation.
  • Draft and negotiate an agreement that documents activities, benefits, effects, and conditions for withdrawing consent.
  • Assess compliance with FPIC before conservation activities begin.

    Hours

    Videos

    Exercises & quizzes

    EARN YOUR CERTIFICATE

    To earn your certificate, you will need to take and pass our exam. This will be a multiple choice exam. Earning your certificate in this way is important to demonstrate to yourself and others (e.g. employers) that you have attained a high standard in this key skill set.

    However, the exam is nothing to worry about. If you need more time or any kind of additional support for the exam then the instructor is there to help. Most people pass first time and there is a free retake for anyone that doesn't.

    Once you earn your certificate you will be added to our WildTeam global skills directory.​

    Join over 2.5k conservationists already learning with WildTeam

    I have really enjoyed completing all the WildTeam wildlife conservation courses. They have equipped me with the necessary skills I need to begin searching for jobs in conservation after university.
    Neo Channing, Wales

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    I enjoyed the flexibility of the training and the support we got from the faculty members. I feel empowered to volunteer with organizations in my local community to apply all I have learned.
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    PRACTITIONER

    The WildTeam courses have been incredibly valuable in my career. As a Projects Manager, the skills I've learned have improved the way I organise and manage conservation work. The courses are thoughtfully designed, inspiring, and offer a great opportunity to learn from others who are making a real difference to secure a future for wildlife around the world.
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    PRACTITIONER

    The WildTeam courses have strengthened my ability to plan, manage, and evaluate conservation projects with clarity and purpose. These skills are already shaping the way I contribute to conservation efforts, helping me work more effectively and strategically toward what matters most to me: protecting biodiversity and making a meaningful, lasting impact on species conservation.
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    CAREER STARTER

    This course has equipped me with practical skills to design, implement, and manage sustainable conservation projects that create impact. With this certification, I am better prepared to plan and coordinate wildlife conservation initiatives that promote environmental sustainability and community involvement.
    Vincent Orwa, Kenya

    CAREER STARTER

    The Grant Writing course was both practical and insightful. I not only learned how to structure and present proposals effectively while communicating ideas clearly, but I also discovered critical preliminary steps to take before the actual writing process—steps I hadn’t considered before but now understand are essential for creating strong and impactful proposals. I believe these skills will significantly enhance my organization’s chances of securing funding for our bird conservation work.
    Mary Malasa, Zambia

    PRACTITIONER

    I have already used the skills I learnt from this course. It has set me up for success!
    Kiah Davies, England

    CAREER STARTER

    This course has helped me perfect on my skills, learn new knowledge and more so, I was able to built rapport with the conservationists who took part. I highly recommend this course to anyone having imposter syndrome as at the end of the course you will have perfected in the areas you doubted yourself.
    Cynthia Kiptoo, Kenya

    CAREER STARTER

    IS THIS COURSE RIGHT FOR ME?

      This course is suitable for anyone involved in conservation activities that affect communities, including:

      • Practising conservationists who plan or carry out activities affecting communities and want a structured process for managing consent from start to finish.
      • Conservation managers and team leaders who are responsible for community relationships and need to demonstrate that consent was sought properly.
      • Policy and strategy professionals working on protected areas, corridors, or other conservation measures with social and legal implications for communities.
      • Conservation consultants who support project teams and communities through the consent process.

      WHY IS FREE, PRIOR AND INFORMED CONSENT IN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SO IMPORTANT?

        Conservation activities often affect land and resources that communities depend on for their food, their livelihoods, and their culture. Establishing a protected area, a wildlife corridor, or new access restrictions can look beneficial from a conservation perspective while causing harm to the community whose lives are built around that land. The challenge is rarely a lack of good intentions. It is a lack of a structured process for finding out what the right thing is, and for reaching a decision with the community rather than for it.

        Free, Prior and Informed Consent matters because the consequences of skipping it are serious. Communities can lose access to resources, knowledge systems and traditional practices can be weakened, and rights to land, health, and self-determination can be undermined. For the project, the effects are just as serious: without consent, conservation work risks conflict, reputational damage, legal challenge, and communities that no longer support the objectives conservationists are trying to achieve.

        The good news is that FPIC is a process that can be learned and applied consistently. With an understanding of what free, prior, and informed consent requires, and a structured approach to assessing need, building knowledge, and reaching agreement, conservationists can work with communities in a way that protects their rights and improves the long-term effectiveness of the conservation work itself.

        BECOME A WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PROFESSIONAL

        Get certified in all these subjects to become a certified Wildlife Conservation Professional.

          ONE PAYMENT, FULL ACCESS, MAXIMUM VALUE.

          Project Management | Project Planning | Grant Writing | Stakeholder Engagement | Monitoring and Evaluation | Launching Your Career | Consulting | Facilitation | Delivering Training | Ethical Decision Making | Human Rights-Based Approach | Free, Prior and Informed Consent

          Unlock unlimited learning with the WildTeam Memberships. For £290/year or £29/month, you get full access to every course in our school, including all current courses and all future courses released during your membership. Individual courses cost £190 each. With 11 courses already available, buying them separately would cost £2,090. Memberships give you access to all of them, plus future releases, for less than the price of two.

          COURSE CONTENT

          DOWNLOAD YOUR BEST PRACTICE 

          ​The Free, Prior and Informed Consent for Wildlife Conservation best practice is the official manual for the course.

          This best practice can be used as a step-by-step guide for carrying out an FPIC process with any community affected by conservation activities.

          It can also be used as a planning tool when developing conservation strategies, a framework for building partnerships with communities, and a training resource for building FPIC knowledge and skills across teams and organisations.

          It comes with free online templates to help you assess, document, and record each step of the FPIC process.

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