The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is pleased to spotlight OneNature, a new IUCN-US member organization. Joining us from Washington, DC, OneNature is dedicated to transforming the landscape of conservation by integrating human well-being with environmental sustainability. Their innovative approach aligns seamlessly with IUCN’s mission to harness the collective expertise, influence, and capacity of our members in over 160 countries to protect nature.
About OneNature
Founded in 2020, OneNature brings a unique perspective to conservation efforts by prioritizing happiness and well-being alongside conservation goals. Based on decades of experience and research, OneNature staff and partners have developed a holistic well-being approach to support the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of conservation projects. Through this Wild Happiness approach, they offer training, tools, and hands-on support that help conservation practitioners measure and integrate community well-being and values with holistic conservation outcomes that benefit wildlife and people and include diverse community perspectives.
The benefits of data-driven community engagement are extensive, including meaningful community engagement throughout the life of the project, enhanced monitoring and evaluation of project impact, an “early-warning system” to identify emerging dissatisfaction that could give rise to conflict, and the ability to report on holistic social and community impacts from the project and a heightened understanding of the true impacts of the project on local communities.
OneNature is currently piloting this approach with conservation partners and communities in Kenya, Laos, and Rwanda. With metrics to connect human well-being to wildlife conservation, they can help make community-based wildlife conservation more effective and sustainable while providing tools that enable change in global policies and practices to improve the well-being of animals, people, and our planet.
Key Achievements and Projects
OneNature’s achievements include developing and implementing the Wild Happiness approach, which can improve financial, programmatic, and community outcomes in conservation projects. Their partnership with the Happiness Alliance and successful well-being survey and community co-creation pilot in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, exemplifies their capability to bring innovative solutions to complex conservation challenges. OneNature’s research and collaboration efforts have also contributed
significantly to the field, with over a dozen peer-reviewed publications and reports that underscore the importance of integrating human well-being into conservation strategies. This research recognizes both material and nonmaterial values of nature to communities involved in climate and biodiversity conservation and proposes practical tools to measure and support these holistic values.
Goals Within IUCN
As a member of IUCN, OneNature aims to advance the interconnection of nature, wildlife, and human well-being so that animals, people, and the planet can thrive together. They are committed to sharing their unique approach and insights with the IUCN community, influencing well-being and equity policies in conservation, and contributing to the Union’s knowledge base with their expertise in data-driven, well- being-focused conservation methods and approach to understanding the material and nonmaterial benefits of wildlife and habitat to communities.
A Message from Beth Allgood, Founder & Executive Director of OneNature
“We are thrilled to join the IUCN family and look forward to contributing to its mission. We believe that integrating social science strategies and natural science outcomes helps guide project planning and implementation toward greater sustainability by creating and maintaining measurable community well-being benefits. We are excited about partnering with other IUCN members to achieve more sustainable outcomes with a greater positive impact for people, wildlife, and the planet to help shape a more equitable and thriving world for all beings.”
Find out more:
Website: www.onenatureinstitute.org
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/one-nature-institute
Newsletter: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/yGK4PsKAGt3LLL0C0tRogA
or email Beth Allgood at allgood@onenatureinstitute.org
