TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
OUR VISION FOR COMMUNITY-LED CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE JUSTICE
This document aims to orient Wildlife Works staff and collaborators to the evolving and important thinking around climate and environmental justice, an essential perspective that seeks to protect and elevate local community rights and leadership.
Wildlife Works was founded nearly 30 years ago based on the core belief that protecting forests and wildlife can only succeed when forest communities have access to wildlife-friendly economic pathways co-created by and for forest communities themselves. Founder Mike Korchinsky recognized that if you want wildlife, you must make sure it works for local communities.
There must not be any obstruction of forest communities’ self-governance to co-design and implement culturally relevant solutions to conserve their ecosystems. Their self-determined social, health and economic development dictates the success of any forest protection effort.
But because of deep-rooted power structures and decades of top-down policymaking, many forest communities’ sovereignty, self-determination, and economic power have been undermined.
Conservation policies that don’t consider the local communities who live in the threatened ecosystems that the policies are trying to protect are not sustainable. This ongoing gap between policymaking and the people it impacts holds climate action back. Nature-based solutions, such as REDD+ projects, are only sustainable when financing and decision-making power flows directly to those communities on the frontlines who hold the solutions and can implement them successfully.
At Wildlife Works, we view deep investments in social development programs not merely as a co-benefit, but as the essential activities that drive the successful protection of forests and wildlife. We recognize that forest communities hold the solution to conserving their ecosystems, so we depend on their knowledge and collaboration to create effective and equitable programs and policy. When implemented with integrity, transparency and true partnership with forest communities, REDD+ projects are a scalable solution that uphold forest communities’ self-governance.
These are some of the elements to our community-centered strategy:
We support and advocate for policies that provide economic and political self-determination for forest communities, traditional communities and Indigenous Peoples.
Our project management strategy prioritizes community participation, partnership and leadership to support culturally relevant solutions by and for local communities.
We conduct comprehensive and culturally sensitive FPIC (Free and Prior Informed Consent) procedures, community grievance mechanisms, and ongoing trust and relationship-building between the community and project management members.
Our benefit sharing agreements are transparently negotiated with community leaders as they are with all other stakeholders.
Consent to projects and programs are considered fluid: community members and landowners have the right to change or withdraw their consent at anytime
Because communities are at the center of our conservation success, we must continue to dedicate ourselves to seeking out and understanding the community perspective. Ensuring that our work aligns with community-led conservation and climate justice requires both action and careful attention to how we communicate. How we use language shapes perceptions, policies, and partnerships. This language guide is meant to help Wildlife Works staff and collaborators use clear, accurate, and respectful language that reflects our commitment to community rights and leadership. By being intentional with our words, we can better reinforce their role as leaders in conservation.
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS CONTENT
This document was written and managed by the Wildlife Works U.S. office, so it admittedly comes with an American climate justice perspective yet is intended to create more inclusive communications specifically positioned for the Global North audience. For Global South audiences, we recognize that this perspective may not be universally relevant or applicable.
Every culture and language has its own context, history, and approach to these topics. For local communities as an audience, the topics and language covered may not be appropriate to present or use without proper context on the western view of climate justice.
The priority in communicating and working with local communities is to be respectful of each community’s current cultural practices and values, even if they don’t seem to align with the Global North view of social justice. We want to avoid projecting victimization or our view of progress onto other cultures and communities.
Given the vast cultural differences of the many different community stakeholders and audiences, this document is meant to be a starting point that provides context for language aligned with the global climate justice movement in respect to the voluntary carbon market. This is a living, evolving document— as Wildlife Works learns, grows, and changes, so will this guide.
SEEING WITH A CLIMATE JUSTICE LENS
Wildlife Works embraces the importance of advancing climate justice, and we aim to do this in our workplace and through our work teams. We seek to be respectful, inclusive, and diverse; represented by people of color, LBGTQ, people from Indigenous and traditional communities, and people from urban and rural backgrounds.
We acknowledge that a lack of equity has disenfranchised the people who hold the answers to our most pressing challenges regarding climate change and environmental justice. To make meaningful progress, we approach our work with humility and openness, always searching for better ways to center and prioritize historically marginalized voices.
It is therefore important for our internal and external communications to be filtered through a climate justice lens. This means paying careful attention to how we speak about our projects and community partners and how we advocate for community-centered policies and climate action.
The theory, terminology, and practice of climate justice are relatively new and continue to evolve through ongoing research and conversations with affected communities.
In the first section you’ll find just a few key climate justice topics and terms that are important for co- workers and stakeholders to reflect on as we build relationships with the nations and peoples most affected by climate change. These concepts touch upon many of the underlying themes at play in international conservation and community development work. It is by no means comprehensive but no matter where you are in your knowledge base, increased awareness and introspection of these themes helps inform more nuanced and critical perspectives in how we approach and discuss our work.
SECTION 1
CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, AND INCLUSIVE TERMS AND THEMES
I. Climate and Environmental Themes
Climate Justice
Climate justice is a term and movement that addresses the social, economic, health, and other compounded impacts of climate change on marginalized and historically underrepresented communities. It acknowledges that those who have contributed the least to climate change—such as Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and nations in the Global South—often bear the heaviest burdens of its consequences. It is the effort to rectify past environmental harm and reduce or eliminate activities that negatively affect both the environment and the communities who live in said environments.
At its core, climate justice seeks to correct systemic injustices by ensuring that solutions are inclusive, that decision-making power is distributed fairly, and that those most affected have the resources and autonomy to implement their own climate resilience strategies. This includes respecting land rights, supporting community-led conservation, and ensuring that economic benefits—such as those from carbon markets—are equitably shared.
Saviorism
Saviorism stems from ideology emerging from colonial times that perpetuate a desire or sense of duty to alleviate global suffering. Saviorism is enacted by individuals or organizations outside of the affected community who believe they have a calling to find and provide the solution. Actions resulting from a savior-based mindset - from individuals, groups or organizations - continue the cycle of aid-based co- dependencies that undermine climate progress for all.
Because of the history of Western colonialism and the current global neo-colonial economic and political system, the savior narrative and the “othering” by dominant groups is extremely pervasive and deeply embedded in international development, sustainability and climate change narratives.
To counter this narrative, we must ask, how can we continue to extract ourselves from the central narrative and prioritize, amplify, and showcase voices directly from the community members themselves?
Company marketing communications language and imagery should be carefully considered to avoid perpetuating the savior narrative. Imagery should always be respectful and presented in and with cultural context.
Reading resource: Op-Ed: Racism in the aid sector and a way forward
Climate Reparations
Climate reparations are about rectifying climate injustice, in a framework where those most responsible for climate change must redistribute resources for those who have been wronged.
“Climate reparations are better understood as a systemic approach to redistributing resources and changing policies and institutions that have perpetuated harm.”Op-Ed: Case for Climate Reparations by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò
Front-line Communities
Front-line communities are those that experience the most immediate and worst impacts of climate change and are most often communities of color, Indigenous, and low-income because they have been systematically marginalized and disenfranchised through colonialism, neocolonialism and institutionalized racism. They are the least responsible for the world’s climate problems but remain the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change and environmental policy. This is true in both urban and rural areas around the world.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality is a lens that examines magnified oppression and nuanced privilege when multiple social identities are considered such as race, class, gender, nationality, religion, disability, and caste power structures. Intersectionality opposes isolating individual identities when looking at how oppression affects people in the most marginalized communities. An intersectionality lens can also help clarify the ways a person can simultaneously experience privilege and oppression. For example, women of color experience both sexism and racism. Simultaneously, they could experience privilege if they are from a wealthier socioeconomic background.
Intersectional Environmentalism
Intersectional Environmentalism asserts that environmental and climate action without social justice cannot create holistic climate and conservation solutions that sustain and protect everyone. It aims for inclusion in climate solutions and equity in access to services and finances, as well as dismantling systems of oppression for a more equitable future.
“What is intersectional environmentalism? This is an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected. It brings injustices done to the most vulnerable communities, and the earth, to the forefront and does not minimize or silence social inequality. Intersectional environmentalism advocates for justice for people + the planet.”
Source: Intersectional Environmentalist
Neo-colonialism
Neocolonialism (a term made mainstream by Kwame Nkrumah – the first president of an independent Ghana) is the practice of using economics, globalization, cultural imperialism and conditional aid to influence a country or people, often in ways that favor the colonizer and disenfranchise the country’s people. Colonial power structures persist to this day and are embedded into our global economic system. This imbalance of power and prioritization of the western viewpoint underpins many international development initiatives and much of conventional conservation culture.
Please see further reading for more resources.
Decolonization
Decolonization is the removal of colonial presence and influence on a political, social, and economic level. It seeks to redress the harm caused by colonization by reclaiming the Indigenous or oppressed community’s power and centering their perspective in order to address and undo colonial power structures and replace them with more equitable solutions.
Among the U.S. activist community, there is a growing trend of noting the Indigenous territory in which one resides that was erased and renamed by colonialists.
White Supremacy
A helpful definition and context for White Supremacy comes from ICMA, “White supremacy Refers to the dominant, unquestioned standards of behavior and ways of functioning embodied by the vast majority of institutions in the United States. These standards may be seen as mainstream, dominant cultural practices; they have evolved from the United States’ history of white supremacy. Because it is so normalized it can be hard to see, which only adds to its powerful hold. In many ways, it is indistinguishable from what we might call U.S. culture or norms—a focus on individuals over groups, for example, or an emphasis on the written word as a form of professional communication. But it operates in even more subtle ways, by actually defining what “normal” is—and likewise, what “professional,” “effective”, or even “good” is. In turn, white culture also defines what is not good, “at risk” or “unsustainable.” White culture values some ways—ways that are more familiar and come more naturally to those from a white, western tradition—of thinking, behaving, deciding, and knowing, while devaluing or rendering invisible other ways. And it does this without ever having to explicitly say so.
White supremacy culture is an artificial, historically constructed culture that expresses, justifies and binds together the United States white supremacy system. It is the glue that binds together white-controlled institutions into systems and white-controlled systems into the global white supremacy system.”
A more complex layer is anti-Blackness. “The Council for Democratizing Education defines anti- Blackness as being a two-part formation that both voids Blackness of value, while systematically marginalizing Black people and their issues.
The first form of anti-Blackness is overt racism. Beneath this anti-Black racism is the covert structural and systemic racism which categorically predetermines the socioeconomic status of Blacks in this country. The structure is held in place by anti-Black policies, institutions, and ideologies.
The second form of anti-Blackness is the unethical disregard for Black institutions and policies. This disregard is the product of class, race, and/or gender privilege certain individuals experience due to anti- Black institutions and policies. This form of anti-Blackness is protected by the first form of overt racism.”
Because colonialism around the world was mostly led by European nations, White supremacy is experienced globally and persists through neo-colonialism.
Reading resource:As a non-black POC, we need to address anti-Blackness.
II. Interpersonal Themes
Implicit Bias
Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and beliefs that result in actions or statements that perpetuate racial, social, economic and gender inequities.
Reading resources:4 ways you might be displaying implicit bias every day Implicit bias means we're all at least a little bit racist
Microaggression
Microaggressions are statements and behaviors that make stereotypical assumptions based on a person’s race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, or other group membership subject to discrimination. Microaggressions are often subtle, inexplicit, or veiled as a compliment, but depend on stereotypes to make their meaning known. The cumulative effect of microaggressions can cause individual psychological harm while also perpetuating harmful beliefs about non-dominant cultural groups.
Reading resource: Examples of verbal and nonverbal microaggressions
Racism vs Racial Prejudice
"While assumptions and stereotypes about white people do exist, this is considered racial prejudice, not racism. Racial prejudice refers to a set of discriminatory or derogatory attitudes based on assumptions derived from perceptions about race and/or skin color. Thus, racial prejudice can indeed be directed at white people (e.g., “White people can’t dance”) but is not considered racism because of the systemic relationship to power." (Calgary Anti-Racism Education)
Reading resources:The myth of reverse racism.
Internalized Racism
Similar to implicit bias, the dominant culture’s messages, attitudes and stereotypes have also been internalized by those within communities who are oppressed and profiled by the dominant culture. Ironically, internalizing self-oppressive ideology is a way for those in underrepresented communities to survive and “thrive” within the dominant culture. This is why internalized power dynamics run deep and act to perpetuate systemic oppression from racism to sexism. Similarly, dominant groups are socialized to experience internalized privilege.
Reading resources:10 signs of internalized racism
Gender Identity
Non-binary gender identities have existed throughout human history. Younger generations are starting to embrace a more fluid and inclusive definition of gender identity. Gender identities that fall outside of the dominant cisgender, straight white male identity experience oppression on various levels. A glossary of gender related terms that can give you language to speak on gender fluidity can be found on the Human Rights Campaign site.
To acknowledge the spectrum of gender identity and respect that some may not identify with their gender assigned at birth, many have started to share their preferred pronouns in bios and profiles.
She/ her
He/ him
They/ their
Xe / xem
Ze / zir
Name only
Respecting gender identities is important because it upholds human dignity, equity, and inclusion— fundamental principles in any space, including conservation and climate justice. When addressing groups of people or people whose pronouns you haven’t been told, use gender-neutral language such as, “friends,” “folks,” “all,” or “y’all,” rather than “guys,” “ladies,” “ma’am,” or “sir.”
For a deeper dive, a more comprehensive glossary of terms for Race, Equity and Social Justice can be found on ICMA.
III. Economic System Themes
Degrowth
Degrowth is an economic and social movement that encourages the scaling back, or degrowth, of the production of many products and services to a sustainable level. It is based on anti-consumerism and takes a stand against unnecessary or excessive consumption in favor of more moderate, environmentally friendly habits and business models.
Degrowth is further clarified by Jason Hickel, an economic anthropologist, whose research focuses on global inequality, political economy, and ecological economics.
Solidarity Economy
Solidarity economy refers to numerous economic activities that put social needs and profits ahead or on par with financial profits. It’s an economic formation that seeks to address worker and resource exploitation and improve the quality of life through community solidarity in partnership with local business and non-profit ventures.
“Growing out of social movements in Latin America and the Global South, the solidarity economy provides real alternatives to capitalism, where communities govern themselves through participatory democracy, cooperative and public ownership, and a culture of solidarity and respect for the earth.” Solidary economy frameworks outline the essential building blocks for transforming global economic structures into a “regional solidarity economy ecosystem”, including housing, schools, farms and food production, local governance structures, art and culture, healthcare and healing, and transportation.
Source: New Economy Coalition
Regenerative Economy
A regenerative economy both harvests and creates; it restores and builds resources to maintain a balance of sustainable consumption that benefits the society in which it operates and for whom it operates.8 principles of a Regenerative Economy from the Capital Institute
“Finance is currently designed to extract, concentrate, and control wealth. It must be regulated and restructured to restore capital into communities for long-term health, well-being, and resilience.” A People’s Orientation to a Regenerative Economy
Doughnut Economics
Doughnut economics is an economic model that asks us to meet the needs of people while living within the means of the planet. It defines a system of regenerative production and exchange with a social foundation to help us care for vulnerable populations and an ecological ceiling to protect and fight against climate change and other major environmental concerns.
Kate Raworth: “Humanity’s 21st century challenge is to meet the needs of all within the means of the planet. In other words, to ensure that no one falls short on life’s essentials (from food and housing to healthcare and political voice), while ensuring that collectively we do not overshoot our pressure on Earth’s life-supporting systems, on which we fundamentally depend – such as a stable climate, fertile soils, and a protective ozone layer.
The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries is a playfully serious approach to framing that challenge, and it acts as a compass for human progress this century.” Donut economics is a way of thinking about the economy that makes regenerative and distributive dynamics a reality. It views the world and its economies as a series of complex, interconnected systems.
TAKING ACTION AND GIVING VOICE TO CLIMATE JUSTICE
The bottom line is that climate justice action must redistribute financial and social risks and rewards by dismantling traditional North-South power structures. Climate solutions that are designed for all must aim to equalize the power imbalance by putting decision-making power and financial access and control back in the hands of economically disadvantaged, politically marginalized, and front-line communities.
As we work to build more equitable and inclusive partnerships with forest communities and Indigenous cultures in the Global South, we must remember that the language we use shapes our intentions, actions, and impact.
We can help set the tone for how the industry speaks about these issues. We have the opportunity to shape the conversations around environmentalism and climate change, as well as influencing the approach to finding and implementing sustainable, inclusive, and equitable solutions. To help affect the change we wish to see, our marketing communications language and imagery should be carefully considered to avoid perpetuating the savior narrative, biases and microaggressions, othering, and objectification of forest communities and Indigenous peoples. Imagery should always be respectful and presented in the appropriate cultural context.
For a more in-depth guide to writing internal and external communications, please see the next section.
SECTION 2
WILDLIFE WORKS INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
Our words matter.
They have the power to include or exclude, to celebrate or malign, to inspire change or reinforce the status quo. We shared an in-depth exploration of why we wrote this inclusive language guide in this document’s introduction. It presents terms and concepts that are important for Wildlife Works staff to understand so we can advance climate justice through our work. We recommend reading that resource first and then returning to this one.
This guide is a style companion that will help you choose inclusive language that is aligned with our community-centered vision for climate justice. Whether you’re responsible for official written materials or more informal day-to-day communications, this language guide aims to give context to how word choice can help create a culture for equitable participation.
This guide is meant to be a starting point for an individual or organization's own work and discovery into these deep topics. Replacing words does not replace the work necessary to authentically express climate action with true empathy and understanding of how marginalized communities experience climate and social injustices.
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS CONTENT:
This document was written and managed by the Wildlife Works U.S. office, so it admittedly comes with an American climate justice perspective yet is intended to create more inclusive communications specifically positioned for the Global North audience. For Global South audiences, we recognize that this perspective may not be universally relevant or applicable. Every culture and language has its own context, history, and approach to these topics.
For local communities as an audience, the topics and language covered may not be appropriate to present or use without proper context on the western view of climate justice. The priority in communicating and working with local communities is to be respectful of each community’s current cultural practices and values, even if they don’t seem to align with the Global North view of social justice. We want to avoid projecting victimization or our view of progress onto other cultures and communities.
Given the vast cultural differences of the many different community stakeholders and audiences we work with, view this document as an introduction that provides context for some select language choices that are aligned with the global climate justice movement. This is a living, evolving document—as Wildlife Works learns, grows, and changes, so will this guide.
THE CHALLENGE
Many mainstream conservation organizations, companies, and donors perpetuate biases and worldviews informed and shaped by neocolonial power imbalances and dynamics. The manifestation of this worldview reveals itself in language that mirrors a donor-centered, aid-based relationship that positions forest communities as dependent recipients of aid, rather than active participants in their own economic development. We see this harmful paternalism in the descriptions of most nature-based climate financing, programs and science.
Whether deliberately or unconsciously, language rooted in a donor-centered, aid-based worldview:
Reinforces the assumption that forest communities are victims and not agents for their own self- determination and change
Does not acknowledge the loss and damage that Global North extractive economies have caused the Global South, and fails to define or acknowledge the need for climate reparations
Perpetuates the uneven power dynamic between the Global South and Global North
Elevates and prioritizes the perspectives, solutions, and systems of aid-based models that
perpetuate co-dependency.
PURPOSE AND IMPACT
The intent of this language guide is to continually move towards language that centers forest communities as drivers of their own destiny. We want to choose words in our writing and communications that prioritize their knowledge, leadership, and experience. To do so, we must also consciously move away from outmoded ways of expressing conservation objectives and thinking about North-South relationships.
Becoming more aware and proactive in how we articulate our work with communities in the Global South, especially in writing, helps us fulfill multiple objectives. It will:
Challenge us to improve our own thinking and assumptions so we can be better partners to forest communities and Indigenous peoples.
Enable us to create a more respectful, inclusive, and diverse company.
Help us define and maintain our leadership position in community-centered conservation.
Address anti-market narratives that criticize carbon projects for violating forest community rights.
We view the carbon market as a tool for forest communities to earn income for their forest protection and their way of life. It is an investment in their local forest economy that paves the way for greater participation in the global economy. We need to use language that reflects this investment and the move towards equitable participation by both the global North and South.
Each application is contextual, so this is not a fixed usage guide. The overarching context to consider is how the wording and concept sits within the dominant culture power dynamic. Here are a few questions that may help guide the writer or event producer examine how language is used in a context that may not be as clear cut:
Who does the narrative center as the one holding the power / holding or creating solution? Does it promote saviorism?
Does the statement dismiss Global North accountability for climate change loss and damages? The donor model is often guilty of this.
Does the statement consider the lived experience of the communities mentioned? Does it create othering of a specific community?
GUIDE ORGANIZATION
This inclusive language guide is divided into two parts. The first part reviews words and phrases that fall into a category of donor-centered, aid-based language that reinforces neo-colonial power imbalances. We suggest more respectful words to use instead.
The second part shares additional phrases that align with Wildlife Works’ strategy, values, and vision.
While the words and phrases below have been hand-picked for the climate conservation sector relevance, a broader and more extensive inclusive language resource can be found here.
PART 1: EXAMINING AID-BASED LANGUAGE AND INCLUSIVE ALTERNATIVES
Support / help / provide
Avoiding the words "support" and “provide” is important because it can reinforce a hierarchical, top-down dynamic, implying that external actors (such as NGOs, donors, or governments) are the primary drivers of solutions, rather than the communities themselves. We should speak about investing, partnering and purchasing rather than supporting. Doing this reframes the conversation and shifts the perspective towards collaborative, long-term, and self-sustaining solutions. We want to emphasize that buyers are sustaining and growing forest economies by investing in our collective future. For similar reasons, "provide" followed by community members or local communities should be avoided.
Inclusive Alternatives
Invest
Fund
Purchase
Co-fund
Finance
Partner
Collaborate
Co-develop
Create funding which enables...
Usage Before:
Support the carbon project.Support the local community.Wildlife Works projects provide community members with ....
Usage after:
Purchase community-centered forest carbon credits.Invest in the local community’s forest economy.Wildlife Works projects co-create economic development pathways for forest communities
Benefit or Beneficiaries
The term benefit in the international development context perpetuates a paternalistic unidirectional (North to South) exchange model. This top-down structure can’t correct the power imbalance between benefactors and beneficiaries. In fact, the industrialized world is actually the beneficiary of forest guardians. Indigenous activist Hindou Ibrham says Indigenous people don’t want to be beneficiaries but partners. We can work towards using alternatives in public-facing communications, especially in writing.
Poor
Inclusive Alternatives:
Recipients
Partners
Brings access
Drive
Establish access
Channel
Fund
Invest
Before:
Over 100,000 local people benefit from the project.Over 50,000 students have benefited from school bursaries.The community receives direct benefits from our conservation program.
After:
Over 100,000 local people receive access to the project’s community-led development programs.Over 50,000 students have earned school bursaries.Wildlife Works REDD+ projects fund health, social and economic development for over x forest community members.
Replace Benefit sharing with Revenue sharing
Revenue share and non-monetary forms of paymentRevenue and non-monetary investmentsRevenue sharing and project-funded community development
It’s important to focus on the humanity and capabilities of under-resourced communities. We should always maintain affected people as the agents in their own story and shouldn’t position ourselves as saviors or advocates for people living in poverty. Using charged language like “poor” or “destitute: can immediately put people at a disadvantage and characterize them as helpless victims. By using language that focuses on the problems causing poverty, we can focus on solutions and preserve the dignity and agency of partner communities.
Inclusive Alternatives:
Economically marginalized
Under-resourced
Basic needs are/are not being met
Vulnerable or Disadvantaged
Similar to poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged can imply that the problem lies with them. This term carries a negative connotation of weakness.
Inclusive Alternatives:
MarginalizedCommunities disproportionately affected by climate change
We Train, Provide or Educate
While we do offer training workshops, we want to avoid paternalist and colonial language that implies we know best or that climate justice knowledge and expertise are unidirectional (North to South). Forest communities and Indigenous peoples have vast knowledge and experience to share with us, and our language should reflect that.
Inclusive Alternatives:
Work with
Co-develop
Develop alongside
Co-create
Before:
Wildlife Works trains communities about the value of preserving forests. We provide
After:
Wildlife Works co-develops capacity-building programs that increase communities’ access to information and tools to preserve forests
Empower
Empower implies that those being empowered have no agency or power—that it must be given to them by those who know better. Our work isn’t to empower forest communities but to restore access and repair systemic disenfranchisement.
Inclusive Alternatives:
Invest in
Drive investments
Uphold agency
Partner with
Join
Amplify
Recognize
Strengthen
Before:
Wildlife Works empowers local communities Promote women's empowermentPromote the empowerment of the most vulnerable
After:
Wildlife Works projects fund economic development activities
Wildlife Works projects invest in local economies
Wildlife Works projects drive investment to local communities Uphold women's agency
Uphold the agency of the most marginalized communities
Livelihoods vs Forest-based economies and economic development
There are many instances when “livelihoods” is an appropriate word to use but, when possible, we want to shift the conversation from individual outcomes to broader, sustainable systems and economies. While the term livelihood isn’t a word we always need to avoid and can be very appropriate, it can reinforce aid- based philosophies when used in the context of Global North to South development. Focusing on building up economies instead of supporting individual livelihoods can encourage the viewpoint that forest-based economies are essential investments for the world and all its people.
Inclusive Alternatives:
Forest-based economies
Bio-economies
Economic development pathways
Before:
Wildlife Works projects support livelihoods
After:
Wildlife Works projects invest in forest-based economies
This next list of words is very common in programs and approaches to Payment for Environmental Services. Suggestions here are for more public communications, outside of very industry-specific conversations.
Reward or Reward Performance
Our work is about investment and sustainable growth. The terms reward or rewarding performance imply an unequal partnership and reinforce the Global North dominant hierarchy. As we work with more Indigenous communities vs. displaced forest communities, we need to use language that doesn’t dismiss the active role of Indigenous Peoples who have protected their forests for generations without recognition or compensation. When possible, use language that can capture most land tenure situations and recognize that all forest communities are at the center of the solution regardless of land tenure.
Inclusive Alternatives:
Invest
Financially compensate
Recognize
Incentivize
Before:
This program rewards communities for their performance.
After:
This program invests in communities protecting their ecosystems.This program financially recognizes communities for protecting their ecosystems.
Similar to “reward” in the context of the power imbalance, incentivize can imply that forest communities need Global North partners to motivate them. This can appear condescending to Indigenous communities who have been protecting their forests for generations. The term can be used to talk about systems i.e. “market-based incentives” but should be avoided when speaking about the communities themselves.
Inclusive Alternatives:
Invest
Market incentives
Market-based incentives
Before:
REDD+ works to incentivize communities to protect the forest.
After:
REDD+ creates a market incentive for forest protection in areas where local communities have limited economic alternatives.
Co-benefits
While many voluntary carbon market stakeholders view biodiversity protection and investments into local communities as “co-benefits” that are secondary to avoiding carbon emissions, Wildlife Works views these activities as “core-investments” that are integral to the project’s success, making the sustained carbon emissions avoidance possible. The term 'co-benefits' can suggest that different elements of an ecosystem (i.e., clean water, clean air, and healthy soil) can function independently, when in reality, conservation success depends on their balance and interconnection. Whenever the term 'co-benefits' needs to be used, emphasize our holistic approach—one that recognizes these elements not as secondary benefits, but as essential, interdependent factors that must thrive together.
Alternatives:
Core investments
Foundational investments
Essential elements
Critical outcomes
Complementary goals
Example usage:
At Wildlife Works, we view deep investments in social development programs not merely as a co-benefit, but as the essential activities that drive the successful protection of forests and wildlife.
While many of these terms are common throughout our industry, we have the opportunity to shift the language we use to become more inclusive and equitable, hopefully influencing other companies and conservation communities along the way.
PART II
MORE EXAMPLE PHRASES THAT ALIGN WITH OUR COMMUNITY- CENTERED STRATEGY
Always center and prioritize community partnership in sentence structure and avoid corporate saviorism.
Before:
Private-sector investments and voluntary carbon markets are preserving forests, tackling the climate and biodiversity crises, and empowering Indigenous communities while helping corporates meet their SDG and net-zero pledges
After:
Private-sector investments and voluntary carbon markets can center community-based conservation that preserve forests, tackle the climate and biodiversity crises while helping corporates meet their SDG and net-zero pledges.
Before:
We can see the impact of market-driven solutions that preserve forests, tackle climate change, and empower Indigenous communities.
After:
We can see the impact of market-driven solutions that partner with Indigenous communities to preserve forests, tackle climate change, and invest in forest economies.
Create community-aligned statements instead of top-down, North-South oriented statements.
Before:
Wildlife Works empowers rural community members within our project area.
After:
Wildlife Works partners with rural community members to co-create biodiversity and carbon capture projects.
Before:
Wildlife Works provided desks for six schools in poor communities.
After:
Sales from Forest Carbon Credits created funds for school upgrades requested by community leaders.
CONCLUSION
This guide is not just a reference—it’s a reflection of our commitment to using language that respects and centers the leadership of communities at the heart of conservation and climate justice. As our understanding evolves throughout our deep collaborations with frontline communities, this guide will continue to evolve alongside us. We encourage ongoing dialogue, feedback, and learning to ensure that our words align with our values and the realities of those leading the fight for climate and environmental justice.
