Coexistence Champions ​
Empowering, celebrating and amplifying lived coexistence
Across India, there are many thousands of individuals who are coexisting with other beings – forest dwellers, pastoralists, fishers, farmers, educators, forest staff, storytellers, healers, community leaders – even if they don’t always call it ‘conservation’. They negotiate daily shared spaces with wild animals and navigate the challenges of these relationships through empathy, resilience, reciprocity and respect. These are the people whose wisdom, practice, and voice must shape what conservation looks like in the coming decades.
The Coexistence Champions Programme exists to support a range of grounded and place-based initiatives, individuals and groups to grow, inspire and amplify the voices of lived coexistence. We invest in those already practicing and advocating coexistence to lead the radical rethinking of the conservation paradigm. Coexistence asks us to move beyond the binary of human vs. nature, and build shared lands and shared stories that are rooted in equity, justice and empathy. Our Champions are among the architects of this paradigm shift.
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This is a commitment to amplify what already works.
It’s a partnership with the people and ideas already driving change.
We’re here to support and elevate the ecosystem that exists, not start over.
Programme Structure
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We currently support mid-career practitioners (with 10-15 years of relevant experience) through a consultancy project ranging from INR 10-25 lakhs annually. In exceptional cases we could consider projects with an annual budget of up to Rs. 30 lakhs per annum. Project budgets must commensurate with the depth and scale of work and impact.
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The programme begins with a 2 year funding commitment with biannual reviews, which may be extendable up to 5 years, based on annual reviews.
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We empower self-sufficiency in funding to support continued on-ground work with a clear exit strategy from the programme and long-term sustainability.
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We launch with 10-12 days in-person induction and cohort-building gathering, focused on building a shared understanding of conservation frameworks, governance, power and storytelling for impact. We continue skill and cohort building with shorter annual in-person gatherings and bi-annual online gatherings.
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We cooperate to build stronger networks of partner NGOs, researchers, local community organisations, government institutions and conservation practitioners, increasing collaboration.
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With paradigm shift as a key goal of the programme, we focus strongly on storytelling and outreach with Champions reshaping the mainstream conservation narrative from the ground up.
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We believe in grounded autonomy, not top-down mandates, enabling Champions to lead change from within, rooted in context and community.
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Champions are expected to work with local governance and community institutions, tap into indigenous knowledge systems, use science and build accountability and joint ownership with communities right from the beginning.
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Values and philosophy
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Coexistence is a rethink of the philosophy of conservation, not only to minimise conflict but to reconnect with nature everywhere, not just save isolated pockets of nature. Projects supported by this program will:
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Be co-created with communities and deeply accountable to them
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Seek to mainstream coexistence through governance and policy
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Tell coexistence stories to a wider audience to influence paradigm shift
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Respectfully engage with and integrate Indigenous worldviews and diverse knowledge systems in a thoughtful and ethical manner
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Work with local governance and community institutions to seed long-term change
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Be rooted in respectful, non-extractive relationships with people and places
Programme Leads:
Programme Manager: Stella James
Advisory Council:
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The first cohort of Coexistence Champions, bring together grassroots leaders, researchers, and community practitioners working across India’s diverse socio-ecological-cultural landscapes to advance conservation as an integrated human–nature system.
Grounded in lived experience, indigenous and local ecological knowledge, science and community-based leadership, the Champions frame coexistence as an ongoing process of negotiated living, moving beyond conflict mitigation towards collaborative governance, adaptive management, and long-term stewardship.
Collectively, these initiatives demonstrate that resilient ecosystems, cultural continuity, and human well-being are mutually reinforcing outcomes of justice-oriented, ecologically-informed, and community-driven action.
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Explore the map below to see where our Champions of the first cohort are working across India’s diverse landscapes. Check out the profiles of Coexistence Champions here.​​​​
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - CLOSED!
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​​​For any further questions and queries, contact us at coexchampions@tdu.edu.in
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