Draft Program Description
Global Leadership for Conservation Program
The Challenge of Leadership in Wildlife andBiodiversity Conservation
The successful conservation of flagship species such as big cats, elephants, and rhinosand the natural capitalthat
supportsthem arekey indicators of sustainable development. Thesehigh-value ecosystemsprovide vital services
that determine our air, water and food supply, as well as livelihoods1. However, flagshipspecies are under
extreme threat from habitat loss, fragmentation,poaching, and trade.Across the high growth tiger range
countries (TRCs) of South and South East Asia, China and Russia, wild tigersare on the brink of extinction. They
occupy only 7 percent of their original habitat2 and theirpopulations have declined by more than 95 percent
over the last century, from 100,000 to just 3,200. Urbanization and economic expansion has led to the
conversion of habitat for agriculture, mines, roads and other uses. As an umbrella species, tigers are poised at
the top of the ecosystem. The loss of this species will lead to the extinction of many more species down the
food chain, causing biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse over time3.
Asia’s high value ecosystems are at risk: From the grasslands, to the forests to the most remote Southand
Central Asianalpine zonesat 3,000-5,400 meters above sea level—where theillusive snow leopard faces
extinction. Just 4,500-6,000 snow leopards remain intwelve countries4. Theirhabitat hasbeen adversely affected
by over-grazing of domestic livestock.In addition, global warming has brought unprecedented changes
tothishabitat, which hascontractedby 15 percent. Each year snow leopards descend to lower altitudes, where
they face many of the same threats as tigers in the wild.Across the region, thegrowing demand forskin and
bones and other body partsused in the production of miracle cures and decorative artifacts,fuels a perverse
dynamic in a global market where these speciesare worth more dead than alive. The Kyrgyz Republic estimates
that it may have lost 30 percent of its snow leopard population. Real and lasting change will call for a new
development paradigm, one that fulfills the growing development needs of people and manages natural
resources, including wildlife and biodiversity, in a more sustainable way.
Meanwhile, legislation isenacted, but not enforced. Organizations are created butremain underfunded. Front
line staffare deployed, but with littletraining and ill-equipped for the challenges ahead.Policy makers remain
unaware of the immense economic and ecological value of the Asian Big Cats and their natural habitats, leading
to the neglect of conservation objectives in national planning. In short, there is a dearth of leadership for
advancingwildlife and biodiversity conservation, and manyinitiatives remain fragmentedwithcommitted
stakeholdersdoing their best to make a difference, butin isolation. Too often, these efforts fail to achieve the
scale that is needed for meaningful change and reform. The cost to mankind is great.The decline of these
charismatic species and their habitats has come to symbolize the broader global crisis of biodiversity loss. Indira
Gandhi once warned, “A world that is unsafe for tigers is a world as unsafe for people too5.
1
Critical ecosystem services include: carbon sequestration, hydrological balance, pollination services, protection from soil erosion,
medicinal plants, genetic diversity, bio-prospecting, eco-tourism. This affects the poor disproportionately. Approximately 80 percent of
the income of the rural poor in South East Asia derive their income from local biodiversity, see GRTP, 2010.
2 It should be noted that most of the tiger conservation landscapes are located in biodiversity hotspots.
3 R. Damania, J. Seidenstiker, A Future of Wild Tigers
4
Afghanistan, China, India,Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and possibly
also Myanmar
5
Indira Gandhi, as cited in the speech by J. Seidensticker, June 26, 2012 at the World Bank.
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Introducing the Global Leadership for Conservation Program
The challenges are complex and global in scope and may require more than good technicalsolutions, because
the adaptive challenges that leaders face are often systemic, and the answers are often unknown. Leaders must
be able to recognize the adaptive workahead, and to frame the key questions and issues, in order to engage
others in learningnew ways of doing business, developing new capabilities, and working collectively to solve
problems.This calls for an understanding of multiple knowledge domains, such as: poverty alleviation,
community-level development, land use planning, infrastructure, scientific monitoring, and law enforcement.
Thisalso involvesthe interplay of actors from different segments of society and institutions: from government,
the private sector, non-government organizations, and communities, and global and multi-country
collaboration, when trans-boundary and international issues are at stake.
ThisGlobal Leadership for Conservation Program is designed to equip key policy makers and practitioners with a
newset of skills and insights to help them deal with the fast pace of change, and to realize effective solutions to
the complex challenges in advancing wildlife and biodiversity conservation on the ground.The program could be
instrumental in helping to address the key capacity gaps highlighted in the National Tiger Recovery Priorities
(NTRPs)6, and comparable strategies for the survival of snow leopards and other charismatic species.
Thisprogram is of a very different nature frommany other traditional learning programsin leadership
development. It is based on the understanding that solutions to thesechallenges are not about one group of
actors imparting a body of knowledge toanother,in an effort to get them to behave differently. It is about all of
these actors finding ways to act collectively in their own best interests to adjust to changing environments by
building political will and sufficient public support, and forging successful coalitions to overcomecollective action
problems that constrain change and cause inertia.
Design principles
The program is structured around fiveprinciples:
(i) Bringing transformative solutions to the concrete problems that are most relevant to policy makers and
practitioners in wildlife and biodiversity conservation. Participants play a key role in defining the problem at
hand.
(ii) Integrating intensive leadership development skills training with technical thematic content on frontier
themes of innovation, and the science and technology of wildlife conservation, e.g. through the use of real
world case studies and the participation of scientific and technical specialists, and expert practitioners.
(iii) Focusing on functional teams (not individuals). Participants are selected on the basis of their track records,
and on the quality of their project proposals, as well as the strength of each team member’s functional
contribution.
(iv) Combining executive leadership development seminars, with problem identification ex-ante, and follow up
and support to implementation ex-post.
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These are operationalized in the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) and aligned with the common vision of
doubling the number of wild tigers across the range by 2022, (TX2). These goals and priorities were unanimously
reaffirmed in the Thimphu Affirmative 9-Point Action Plan (October 2012). For more information on these
important initiatives see Annex 3.
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(v) Bringing relevant experts with state of the art knowledge on the science of biodiversity and the science of
implementation into the program – from the earliest stages of program design, to the ten day leadership
development seminarand follow up, to and the completion of project activities.
Program Content
The Program is comprised of three parts: A preparation phase of collective problem definition; A 10-Day
Leadership Development Seminar; And an 11 month follow- up phase for experimentation and implementation.
These are described briefly below:
Phase One.Problem identification
Participant teams are askedto bring to the program a preliminary project proposal, with a clearly defined
problem statement. The program’s practical orientation frames leadership development in the context of
implementing change, and focuses on what it will take to get things done. In doing so, the program aimstoassist
teamsin collectively defining their problemsandbuilding effective leadership teams.
Phase Two. Leadership Development Seminar
This 10-day intensive face-to-face seminar weaves 6 leadership development modules deeply into the thematic
contentpresented in 3 clusters offrontier themes focused on doing conservation differently, (National Parks as
Engines of Growth, Engaging the Private Sector as Part of the Solution, and Innovation and Technology for
Conservation), see below.Each program will incorporate sessions that explore the critical influences shaping the
context of wildlife conservation globally and locally. These sessions are tailored to meet the needs and priorities
of participating teams.
Six Leadership Development Program Modules (see Annex 1)
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Collective Leadership: Creating teams, coalitions and networks for impact.
Leading Strategic Change
Mobilizing Multi-stakeholder Coalitions for Strategic Change and Reform
Strategic Communication
Generating Short Term Wins for Long Term Gains
Inspiring and Motivating Others to Lead
Three Thematic Clusters (see Annex 2)
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National Parks as Engine of Growth
Engaging Private Sector as Part of the Solution
Innovation and Technology for Conservation
This list illustrates some of the possible themes of future deliveries. By design, each program is preceded by
a scoping mission to identify the reform priorities and challenges of greatest relevance to target audiences.
These then form the basis of the program’sthematic content.
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Figure1: Learning by Doingwith the Global Leadership for Conservation Program
Figure 1 above illustrates how theprogram aims to build participants’ capabilities to connect globally and engage
at national,regional, and local levels to catalyze change and reform in order to advance biodiversity conservation
collectively, through the adaptation of innovation and good practice. Participants will be introduced to a new set
of skills, tools, and strategies for achieving a common understanding of the problems at hand, defining shared
objectives, and ambitious goals and timeframes, for implementing meaningful changes on the ground.
Phase Three. Follow up: Experimentation and Implementation
The interaction and learning provided during the leadership development seminarsis merelyastarting point. It
allows participants to recognize the differences between thetechnical and adaptive challenges they face, and to
put in motion a change process. What is crucially missing at this stage is ongoing support to the implementation
of specific initiatives.
We envisage an11 monthfollow-upphase for teams to apply their new skills through a process of
experimentation and learning-by-doing. The core team willrespond to requests for technical cooperation, and
other types of support in specific areas that derive from the workshop’s reform goals made by the different
teams.
This could take the form of:
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Connecting to finance, with specific advice on organizations to approach, requirements, how to structure
proposals.
Technical support to implementation, such as contracting coaches to work with teams to deliver rapid
results initiatives.
Accessing additional learning, with a customized e-learning/knowledge exchange series for teams to learn
more about the technical aspects underpinning their programs.
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Fostering knowledge exchange among peers including twinning, and mentoring arrangements among
protected areas, national parks and communities.
Scanning innovation through competitions and through grand challenges organized around specific
problems.
Figure 2: One Year Follow up of Cohorts
A Participant Focus
Target Audience
The global leadership for conservation program is designed to accommodate five teams of eight participants at
each delivery. These could be regional or country-based teams, built around conservation hot-spots. Each team
should bring together a cross section of policy makers and practitioners who have the authority to influence the
policy environment, national parks and protected area management, and conservation landscape corridors
across the tiger and snow leopard range in South Asia, South East Asia, China, Central Asia and the Russian
Federation.
The ideal participant team may vary, depending on the context and issues to tackle.However, a team should
include a range of experienced change agents drawn from government officials (Deputy Director General level
and above), legislators/parliamentarians, representatives of regional and local governments, business
associations and corporations, scientists, citizen groups, community leaders, park and protected area managers,
and emerging youth leaders. In addition, we welcome the participation of international organizations (e.g. CITES,
Interpol), international finance institutions, bilateral donors, and private foundations.
Participant Selection Process
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A set of selection criteria will be developed by anExpert Advisory Group
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An Expert Advisory Group composed of 4-5experts, and drawn from partner organizations, will advise
on candidate team selection
During the preparation phase teams will be asked to create a problem(s) statement to be presented at
the workshop (e.g. short paper, power point presentation, or short film framing the challenges and
providing a baseline for their projects).
Organization and Partnership
A Leadership Consortium
In its first iteration, the program will be managed by GTI with support from WBI. As such, it is being piloted by a
core group of partners, including the World Bank Institute, the Smithsonian Institute, the U.S. Park Service
Institute at the University of California Merced, and Clemson University. This core group of partners brings a
unique blend of expertise in science and technology, management of conservation, and economic development
and finance. See Annex 4 to review the capability statements of each.
Over time, it is expected that this partnership would focus on other keynote species such as snow leopards,
elephants, rhinos. The governance arrangement would likely evolve toward an international consortium for
leadership development in biodiversity conservation.
TheGlobal Tiger Initiative (GTI) is uniquely positioned to bring policy makers together with conservation
practitioners for leadership development. Since 2008, GTI has successfully engaged government leaders at the
highest levels to strengthenpolitical will, and significantly influence public policy to advance wild tiger
conservation.GTI works with the thirteen tiger range countries (TRCs) in South Asia and South East Asia, and the
twelve Snow Leopard Range Countries of South and Central Asia7 utilizing the convening power of the World
Bank and a broad coalition of international partners such as the Global Environment Facility, Smithsonian
Institution, World Wildlife Fund, and Wildlife Conservation Society to bring support to the conservation
community. GTI is also building its capability to link national level policy makers with private sector firms,
through an emerging network of Wildlife Business Councils (WBCs) in Asia. It has successfully infused urgency
and energy into tiger conservation to catalyze a paradigm shift in the way ecosystems are valued and governed.
But GTI is not about saving a single species, it is about moving from isolated interventions to collective impact to
address the common agenda articulated in the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP). There is much that can be
learned from GTI’s brand of leadership, for the benefit of the Snow Leopard recovery and other global
conservation movements. For more information on GTI and the GTRP, see Annex 3.
A Network of Delivery Institutions
In terms of delivery, we envisage from the beginning a partnership with national / regional institutions. For
instance in 2013, we will partner with centers of excellence in conservation in Bhutan and in the Kyrgyz
Republic, to deliver this program in support of the implementation of tiger and snow leopard recovery
programsin the regions. Over time, we anticipatethe creation of a network of delivery institutions. This would
build the capacity of national institutions to become knowledge hubs for dissemination on leadership
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This includes: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia,
Thailand, and Vietnam
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development in wildlife and biodiversity conservation and provide policy assistance to their own governments
and in the region.
This could involve the following:
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Working in partnership with each other and with the governments in the region, donors and other academic
institutions to “broker” knowledge on critical wildlife andbiodiversity conservation system strengthening
through various knowledge-sharing events and senior policy seminars;
Working with a selected pool of regional and world-renowned experts and thought leaders to develop and
deliver the customized training programs with cutting-edge knowledge on wildlife and biodiversity system
strengthening and deliver them to regional clients;
Examining selected countries’ reform experiences and lessons, to develop evidence-based case stories for
learning and sharing—seeking synergies with other partners in the region to capture and develop a more
global knowledge base; and
Developing the institutional capacity of the member institutes through training of trainers, twinning
arrangements, mentoring and skill building.
Program Delivery
The Global Leadership for Conservation Program will build on and leverage the lessons from leadership
development programs developed and field tested together with WBI’s Greaterthanleadership (GTL)
Program8from 2010 to 2012. This includes the GTL leadership development programs for front line teams and
wildlife practitioners in 2012 at HuaiKhaKhang Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand and at Chitwan National Park, Nepal,
andthe Global Executive Leadership Fora for policy makers and leading wildlife conservation experts in
Washington, DC and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In addition to its work with WBI, GTI is also partnering with the
Smithsonian Institution to develop a core learning program to expand the knowledge and skills of front line
teams in protected areas in order to advance tiger conservation, for delivery late in 2013.
Possibilities include:
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First year deliveries in the 3rd or 4th quarter 2013
Apartnership with a center of conservation excellence in Bhutan, to deliver this program in support of the
implementation of the Thimphu Affirmative 9 Point Action Agenda, in line with theNational Tiger Recovery
Priorities and the Global Tiger Recovery Programacross the region.
A partnership with a center of excellence in Kyrgyz Republicto support the launch of aglobal snow leopard
recovery program.
Program Evaluation
This program will be evaluated together with partners after each delivery using WBI’s Capacity Development
Results Framework (CDRF) to gauge the progress of each team in terms of intermediate outcome level goals.
The consortium will capture and document the results stories of participant teams for dissemination and to
expand the global knowledge base on leadership development in wildlife and biodiversity conservation.
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http://www.greaterthanleadership.org/about-us
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Annex 1. Workshop Design: Six Leadership Development Program Modules
Collective Leadership: Creating teams, coalitions and networks for impact
The scale and complexity of the looming biodiversity crisis requires a broad-based cross sector approach that goes beyond
individual or organizational efforts at change. Through dialogue and interactive engagement, the program begins by
working to align relevant stakeholder (who are also participants) around a common understanding of the problem, shared
priorities, future plans, and a common set of goals for action. This is brought about through a participatory process which
seeks to achieve a “whole systems” approach, global exploration before local action, a plan for the future, and common
ground. The objective of this is to improve the authorizing environment and to build acceptance among key stakeholders
for change. The process is intended to build functional groups of leaders- in teams, coalitions, and networks, around
unifying problems for collective impact. Central to this is the important role of leaders in convening and connecting a broad
base of agents (including decision makers and implementers) in functional and effective teams.
Leading Strategic Change
Participants explore the linkages between leadership and change, purpose and implementation to better understand in
practical terms how to move from vision, to action for results on the ground. Through experiential learning and an
interactive case study approach, participants will gain an appreciation for taking a problem-based approach, probing factors
influencing successful leadership—such as readiness, the sense of urgency, and space for change. Using diagnostics they
will work together to find an entry point. Participants will acquire a framework for taking on complex challenges, and
devising strategies for making progress in their own projects.
Mobilizing Multi-Stakeholder Coalitions for Strategic Change and Reform.
Utilizing coalition building diagnostics, participants identify and understand fundamental constraints to collective action.
Participants are introduced to hands-on stakeholder influence mapping tools to analyze the political landscape they will
need to navigate.
Strategic Communication.
Strategic communication helps teams build political and public support through opinion, attitude and behavior change,
while more effectively communicating the change vision. Participant teams are introduced to the key strategic decisions
needed to articulate, explain and promote their visions and project objectives. They will learn about the benefits of framing
messages for different stakeholders, working as a team and individually to hone presentation skills.
Generating Short term Wins for Long Term Gains
Based on a set of practical tools and processes, the Rapid Results Approach (RRA) provides a way for leaders to implement
when the way forward is unclear, new skills are needed, and quick tangible results have to be generated fast. This can help
create an authorizing environment for decision making that encourages innovation and learning by doing. Participants are
introduced to the RRA through hands- on workshops where they will grapple with the challenges of making progress
toward strategic goals through a series of meaningful and relevant quick wins. They will also learn about the power of
convening and connecting through broader cross sector, or cross agency engagement in the context of their own leadership
projects.
Inspiring and Motivating Others to Lead
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When it comes to inspiring and motivating others, actions speak louder than words. Successful leadership development
depends greatly on the qualities of the leaders being trained, what they have learned from the program and what they will
take forward into their relationships with others. This session will allow participants to reflect broadly on the purpose of
their lives and their commitment in the context of their personal and professional goals (including their commitment to
conservation) and derive the metrics for measuring progress.
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Annex 2: Proposed Thematic Content—A Problem Driven Approach
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Below is an illustrative list of topics, to be confirmed by discussion with range countries and partners
following pre program consultations.
1. National Parks as Engines of Growth
o
o
o
o
o
o
Park as Economic Generators
Quantifying Benefits (employment generation, financial revenues…)
Poverty Alleviation, Community Engagement, and Livelihoods
Heritage and Nature-based Tourism
Investing in Smart Green Infrastructure
Innovative Financing: through the World Bank and other donors: IDA, IFC, GEF, REDD+,
Foundations and Industry
2. Engaging Private Sector as Part of the Solution
o
o
o
o
o
o
Emerging Corporate Paradigm of Shared Value
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB, WAVE …)
Exploring Opportunities and Risks linked to Changes in Ecosystems
Managing and Mitigating Business Impacts on Ecosystems
Performance Standards
Wildlife Business Councils
3. Innovation and Advances in Science and Technology
o
o
o
o
o
Frontier ICT applications in Biodiversity conservation
Connectivity through the Open Parks Network
Cutting Edge Scientific Monitoring
Bringing Forensics into Monitoring for Science andLaw Enforcement
Latest Advances in GIS andBiodiversity Conservation
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Annex 3: Background on the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP)
The Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) is the first strategic conservation plan to be taken on by all TRCs,
acting independently andin collaboration, to achieve the goal of doubling wild tiger populations by 2022. This
goal embodies the larger objective of conserving and managing sustainably 1.2 million km2 of forest habitat in
76 conservation landscapes. It is the product of broad-based deliberations in each of the tiger range countries.
The foundation of the GTRP is 13 individual National Tiger Recovery Priorities (NTRPs) created by the TRC
governments to address their tiger recovery goals, toward reaching the high level goal of doubling the number
of wild tigers across the range by 2022, or (Tx2).
At the Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2010, GTI and its partners pledged to work togethertoward
achieving a shared vision: Tx2, by 2022.Recently, at the Second Asian Ministerial Meetings in Thimphu, Bhutan
(October, 2012)TRCs met again to translate this shared vision and political will into tangible and timely actions
with clear results toward a common goal.
The Rise of the GTI (2008-2013)
St. Petersburg
Declaration
(Nov 2010)
GTRP (Jan 2010)
Tiger Summit, St.
Petersburg, Russia
Thimphu
Affirmative 9
Point Action
Agenda
(Oct 2012)
2nd Asian
Ministerial
Conference,
Thimphu, Bhutan
1st Asian
Ministerial
Conference, Hua
Hin, Thailand
There have been many highpoints along the way:the 1stAsian Ministerial Conference at Hua Hin, Thailand (2010),
where the GTRP emerged as a road map for wild tiger recovery across the range; the historic International Tiger
Forum (Tiger Summit) in St. Petersburg (2010) hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and co-hosted by the
World Bank President, Robert B. Zoellick where the St. Petersburg Declaration, and its implementation
mechanism the GTRP were unanimously adopted; and the 2ndAsian Ministerial Conference in Thimphu, Bhutan
(2012) where ministers and delegates from all 13 tiger range countries pledged their commitment to the
Thimphu Affirmative 9 Point Action Agenda, and to be “champions of tigers and of all life on Earth”.
In 2012, GTI was asked by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Snow Leopard Trust, and the Snow Leopard
Network on behalf of committed partners from across the Snow Leopard Range Countries9 to bring its approach
to the challenge to updating global and national actions to safeguard the recovery of the endangered snow
leopard and the sustainability of the high mountain ecosystems they represent in South Asia and Central Asia.
Late in2012, GTI began to lay the groundwork for a Global Recovery Plan for Snow Leopards and to plan an
international summit on the recovery of the species in 2013.
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Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan
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Annex 4: WBI’s Greater Than Leadership Program
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Annex 5: Leadership Consortium Capability Statements
Global Tiger Initiative
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
University of California, Merced
Clemson University
World Bank Institute
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