Why Learning Matters
The challenges confronting area-based conservation extend beyond the scope of any single project or organization. Success depends not only on using resources wisely, but also on continuously improving management practices. Approaches that were effective in the past may not respond adequately to today’s pressures, so conservation must evolve through testing, reflection, and adaptation.
Learning and knowledge exchange helps conservation practitioners to understand what works, under which conditions, and how approaches can be adapted to different contexts. When practitioners have space to reflect on experience and adapt their approaches, conservation becomes more effective and more responsive to the people and landscapes it serves. This is why LLF invests not only in landscapes, but also in learning.
Our Vision as a Learning Organization
Legacy Landscapes Fund strives not only to provide flexible, long-term financial support to our partners, but also to help create conditions for their success. Testing, learning, adapting, and sharing are essential to ensuring that conservation efforts remain effective and achieve lasting impact. We treat learning as a core part of how we support partners and consciously incorporate knowledge management, professional development, and reflection into all facets of our operations to strengthen the impact of our funding over time.
As part of this commitment, LLF regularly organizes learning cafés, expert talks, and peer exchanges. Our first Learning and Sharing Week in October 2025 marked an important milestone in this approach, bringing partners together for exchange and reinforcing learning and collaboration as central to our long-term commitment to conservation.
2025 Learning and Sharing Workshop
Who Came Together
The week was designed to create a space for practitioners from LLF-funded landscapes to step back from daily responsibilities and learn from one another. The event brought together 39 peers from 15 sites in 14 countries who work directly in implementation at the field level. Participants brought expertise spanning community engagement, social safeguards, biodiversity monitoring, governance, and landscape management.
The program combined a public-facing component in Berlin with three days of focused technical workshops designed for in-depth peer exchange.
A Bridge Between Practice and Policy
The week opened with a Portfolio Exhibition that connected field practitioners directly with donors, embassies, members of parliament, NGOs, and media. Each site team presented its landscape and conservation approach through a poster exhibition highlighting key characteristics of their site and ongoing challenges. The exhibition encouraged direct dialogue between those implementing conservation on the ground and those shaping funding and policy decisions.
Learning Themes
The workshop portion of the week focused on challenges shared across regions, organizations, and roles. Discussions were structured around four themes that participants identified as priorities for practical exchange, which will continue to be a central focus of exchange after the workshop.
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What Participants Took Away
At the end of the week, participants shared that they were leaving with a renewed sense of belonging to a global effort and a broader perspective on their work. Many identified practical approaches they intend to apply within their own sites, as well as a better understanding of how similar challenges are being addressed in other parts of the world.
The trust built during open discussions has already translated into continued collaboration. In the weeks following the event, participants shared resources, requested technical advice, and continue discussions initiated during the workshop, demonstrating that the exchange is already translating into practical collaboration.
Our Vision for the Future
The Learning and Sharing Week marked an important step toward building a lasting community of practice across LLF’s portfolio. By investing in knowledge exchange alongside financial support, LLF strengthens the effectiveness of conservation funding and reinforces a culture of continuous improvement. Over time, this approach will help cultivate a connected global network of conservation leaders.