Local Action for Wildlife Protection
As human development expands into natural habitats, wildlife faces growing threats from habitat loss, pollution, and increased human contact, sometimes pushing communities toward wildlife trafficking for survival. In response, WCS partners with local communities to promote sustainable alternatives through training, education, and economic opportunities. Initiatives like Zoológico La Aurora’s pilot program in Guatemala, focused on mangrove and coastal ecosystems, and Fundación Temaikèn’s Yellow Cardinal Conservation Project in Argentina demonstrate how community engagement and wildlife-friendly practices can reduce trafficking and protect species—showing that local action drives lasting benefits for both people and wildlife.
This story was made possible through a collaboration with teams from Zoológico la Aurora in Guatemala and Fundación Temaikèn in Argentina.
Learn more about their important work here:
Zoológico la Aurora | Fundación Temaikèn
Connecting Conservation to the Classroom
Gain insights from a WCS educator who will explain the key student learning outcomes and the curricular objectives embedded within the lesson plans for this story. This will help you understand how the lessons are designed to support student growth and foster meaningful learning experiences.
Standards and Glossary • English | Español
Community Based Conservation in Action
One approach increasingly used by conservation organizations is community-based conservation, where stakeholders such as scientists, government officials and community leaders work in a collaborative partnership to develop solutions that meet the needs of both people and wildlife. In this lesson, students will explore how community-based conservation shifts incentives and builds trust to create long-term solutions in different contexts. Students will learn about why community-based conservation leads to stronger, longer sustained conservation outcomes.Lesson Plan • English | Español
Skills for a Conservation Career
Working with communities in places experiencing human-wildlife conflict can be a challenge. In this lesson, students will learn about how conservation capacity building helps shift local communities away from exploitative practices and towards conservation promoting actions in a variety of industries. Students will learn about the ways in which Zoologico La Aurora in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Fundacion Temaiken outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina leverage their expertise to help local communities identify ways to promote conservation-forward actions based on existing skillsets.Lesson Plan • English | Español