The Alternative Integral Conservation from the South: a different view about conservation

Abstract

After 10 years of effort as practitioners in Latin American rural areas, and as an endogenous proposal, where sustainability and human well-being are matched, we introduce the CIA-Sur (Alternative Integral Conservation from the South) approach.  We sketch the elements of this conceptual model in order to understand, from the Latin American standpoint, what is causing the imbalance between nature and society.  We sought to find the actual opportunities and threats of overcoming the environmental and social abyss that emerges when we put together development and conservation.  We also redefine here the following terms: Sustainable development, bio-cultural diversity, biological conservation, richness accumulation, life agriculture and environmental policies, in order to find a non conventional vision of future conservationists styles in our region.