CoMMunications & Storytelling

Framing Conversations about Conservation.

Communications are an essential task in conservation today. Whether it is sharing information between stakeholders, informing the public about threats and solutions or reporting on challenges faced and progress achieved to funding partners – as conservationists, we are faced with a constant need to communicate.

One of the most ancient and effective forms of human communication is the story. Humans have been sharing stories since before the species mastered language – e.g. through images. Consciously or not, we hear and tell stories every day. Stories help us understand the world and our place in it – and they have the power to shape our perceptions.

In 2018, the GSLEP program facilitated a workshop on Storytelling for Conservationists at the SCB Asia Conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Out of this workshop, we have developed a toolkit which aims to help conservationists understand, harness and apply the power of stories and storytelling techniques for biodiversity conservation.

It provides i) information about why stories work, ii) easily applicable guidelines on how to shape and tell stories, and iii) practical considerations about how stories and storytelling techniques can be applied for conservation purposes.