Across the continent, IPLCs are stewards of natural resources, yet continue to face the negative impacts of conservation initiatives by third parties, which often are based on the concept of protecting natural resources and biological diversity, while excluding IPLCs within their discourse. This exclusion has exacerbated violence; militarization and human rights abuses, poaching, cattle rustling; natural resource conflicts in relation to access to water, pasture and land tenure; proliferation of small arms; gender inequality; political corruption and marginalization of IPLCs in terms of access to services. In acknowledging that conservation models that exclude people have failed worldwide, the Alliance will work to put ordinary IPLCs at the center of the conservation agenda at all levels.

IPLCs will endeavor to challenge the neo-colonial fortress conservation model and advocate for full ownership and tenure rights for community conserved areas, and strong co-management schemes for PAs surrounded by IPLC communities; advocate for Human-Wildlife Conflict(HWC) mitigation measures including compensation; calling on African governments to take back control of the conservation narrative –policy and funding, including re-indigenizing funding; empowering IPLCs as equal partners in conservation with entitlements to rights and obligations; and challenging militarization of conservation and human rights abuses.