The Business of Conservation conference was held in Rwanda in August 2023. In the lead up, my social media feeds were full of NGOs I follow advertising their attendance and the sessions they were involved in. The small NGO I was working with, only a year old, decided against attending, mainly a strategic decision around limited staff and other things to focus on, but also because of the cost. A week in Kigali, hotels, transport there and back and in town, food and extras plus the not insubstantial registration fee. Seeing the conference was not live streamed, I emailed the conference organizers and asked whether there were recordings they could share, or a conference report or papers from participants we could have access to, to benefit from all the session topics I saw related to our work. I was told, “As you are aware, the event was a paid experience, and we are committed to ensuring that our valued guests receive the full benefit of their participation. Therefore, the final report and related videos and materials will be available but exclusive to those who registered and attended the event. We understand that you’re interested in accessing these materials, and while we would love to share them with everyone, we must respect the commitment we made to our paying participants. This decision is intended to maintain the exclusivity and value of the event for those who supported it financially.” Conservationists should broadcast their successes and failures as clearly as this prothonotary…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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