Responsibilising Conservation: Accountability and Ethics of Community Engagement in Biodiversity Initiatives

Abstract This paper examines how environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) construct, justify and enact community engagement in biodiversity conservation, and the ethical tensions that arise as accountability responsibilities are increasingly shifted towards local communities. Drawing on the concept of responsibilisation (Rose, 1999) and using Habermasian (1984) validity claims as an analytical framework, the study analyses qualitative data from NGO-led conservation initiatives to interrogate the normative foundations and practical effects of participatory governance arrangements. The findings show that GreenAction uses a progressive engagement process, blending communication, moral framing, economic incentives, and delegated accountability rather than one participatory model. This approach justifies community involvement as both legitimate and effective, whilst at the same time embedding conservation within wider neoliberal accountability frameworks. These practices expose significant ethical challenges in managing community-based conservation. Although involving communities is ethically sound at first, it becomes more problematic as they take on greater roles in conservation work and accountability. As a result, communities are held accountable not only for protecting species but also for providing the necessary accounting evidence to demonstrate conservation outcomes. This conflation of biodiversity responsibilisation with ‘accounting responsibilisation’ marks a critical finding of the study.