The Kathmandu Resolution seeks to shift who sets the agenda for biodiversity protection in Asia, urging regional leadership after the 6th Conservation Asia Congress concluded in the first week of June.
Speakers and participants framed the demand as a response to a persistent crisis across the continent. Asia combines exceptional ecological and cultural diversity with drivers that undermine nature protection: uneven post-colonial development, capital-intensive infrastructure that deepens inequality, heavy reliance on natural resources from household to national levels, dense human populations overlapping habitats for endangered species, illegal wildlife trade, and chronic political violence including war, genocide, militarization and conflict. Together, these pressures create an urgent need to accelerate action on biodiversity, climate and cultural loss.
Nearly 500 conservationists, largely from Asian countries, gathered in Kathmandu for the Congress, which was organised by the Asia region of the Society for Conservation Biology in partnership with its Nepal chapter and the Burhan Community Regeneration and Conservation Foundation. Under the theme "Harmonizing Biodiversity and Human Well-being in Asia," the event brought global experts, early-career researchers and community leaders together to examine the links between nature conservation, community stewardship and evidence-based policy.
Delegates argued that effective responses require rebalancing power in the conservation sector. The conference highlighted that research, funding and policy influence remain concentrated within Western knowledge production systems, a setup many participants said must change if Asia is to pursue locally appropriate solutions at scale.
The Kathmandu Resolution therefore frames a political as well as scientific shift: it calls for Asia-wide leadership in setting priorities and designing responses that reflect regional contexts and community stewardship. Turning that call into tangible outcomes will depend on bridging the gap between international donors and locally rooted actors, and on translating the Congress’s consensus into national policies and community-level practice.
