As part of a small social enterprise focused on unconventional environmental solutions, I’ve regularly pitched larger conservation organizations and funders on helping us scale. Once the province of Silicon Valley tech companies, mainstream conservation organizations now have departments, officers, labs, and think tanks dedicated to innovation. For a while, this—combined with a growing number of conferences, publications, and organizations focused on innovation—made me hopeful that the conservation sector was ready for it.

But I’ve seen little willingness to take the risks that innovation—as distinct from technological and scientific advances like remote sensing and eDNA—demands. There are a few examples. The Seychelles was able to reduce its national debt in exchange for marine protection efforts, and a recent partnership between National Geographic and DeBeers Diamonds aims to protect the Okavango Delta. However, very few large organizations are taking bold risks to solve conservation problems. Their solutions to on-the-ground interventions, fundraising, public engagement, and conservation education remain largely the same as they were 30 years ago.

In a post for the Wildlife Conservation Society earlier this year, Allison Catalano, Jon Fisher, and Heidi Kretser identified some of the biggest fears when it comes to individual and organizational risk-taking. Loosely summarized, they include:

  • Fear of losing money now or future funding
  • Fear of losing credibility
  • Fear of losing your own job or causing the loss of others’ jobs
  • Fear of hurting your brand
  • Fear of losing current or future partnerships
  • Fear of causing ecological or cultural harm

“Failing dismally” needs to be part of our equation. The conservation field should ask, “What are we willing to risk for the Earth?” to help determine whether it should innovate.

Read the full article about taking risks and preserving the planet by Gautam Shah at Stanford Social Innovation Review.