This research aims to understand the role that local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play in implementing wildlife conservation in authoritarian regimes, and in which ways they influence and are influenced by international environmental networks. It further aims to understand how local NGOs operating in authoritarian settings introduce democratic principles into their conservation activities, effectively creating unique, local democratic spaces, and how these spaces can be used to promote transformational social and ecological change. The research findings will enhance conservation policy and practice in the fight against mass biodiversity loss.
