Co-enquiry Research for Community Conservation: a new Methods Manual

In early 2015, as part of the EU FP7-funded COMBIOSERVE consortium, Global Diversity Foundation led the drafting, editing and production of a methods manual entitled Co-enquiry and Participatory Research for Community Conservation.

The COMBIOSERVE project sought to assess the effectiveness of community-based management strategies for biocultural diversity conservation. Within the 30-institution consortium, GDF took responsibility for compiling and developing co-enquiry approaches and methodologies to answer the compelling research questions posed by the project. In effect, one of the core objectives of the COMBIOSERVE project was to implement (differently in each fieldsite) and experiment with co-enquiry and participatory research methods to achieve project results.

This methods manual compiles GDF’s own research and experience on co-enquiry, which took place in collaboration with Chinantec communities in northeastern Oaxaca, in Mexico. It also gathers experiences and perspectives from colleagues working in other parts of Mexico, Brazil and Bolivia in the COMBIOSERVE consortium. It covers theory and practice of co-enquiry, experiences from the field, research protocols for carrying out co-enquiry research on the topic of community-based conservation, evaluation of co-enquiry research, participatory dissemination and advocacy.

The manual is available for download here.