A vast portion of Earth's biodiversity is stewarded by Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Local Communities (LCs). We believe it is crucial to collaborate with those who safeguard these lands and waters. We are dedicated to establishing relationships with IPs and LCs in order to co-create projects that draw on both Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science to accelerate biodiversity conservation. We’re convinced that achieving a lasting impact requires a holistic approach and equitable benefit sharing. We seek to engage with members of Indigenous nations and local communities, as well as organizations connected to these communities to co-develop biodiversity research practices and priorities.

At the same time, we employ advanced genomic technologies to serve these research goals, utilizing a range of knowledge systems and technologies to address the crises. We’d love to hear from you and learn which species you’re interested in and your ideas for creating new initiatives to enhance genomic diversity, ecosystem health, and biocultural preservation. Each of our initiatives, or Conservation Challenges, includes both biotechnology-based efforts, specifically genome sequencing and biobanking, and locally-defined initiatives that support communities in land and species stewardship. This unique model relies on extensive engagement work with IP and LC communities and organizations to ensure that communities' rights are respected, that all activities occur with their consent, and that sample handling and data governance practices are defined by the community. Contact us if you are interested in discussing a Conservation Challenge. Together, we can ensure that species conservation is consistently tied to community co-leadership and benefit sharing.

Our collaborative platform brings together field scientists, sequencing labs, bioinformaticians and biobanks for maximum impact in addressing the biodiversity crisis. This decentralized approach invites the involvement of scientists with relevant skillsets to apply for a role in completing a project, thereby expanding the involvement of the scientific community in conservation that promotes positive human behaviors toward the environment. If you have skills in sample collection, DNA and RNA extraction, sequencing, bioinformatics, or biobanking, or represent a laboratory with these skills, we invite you to sign up as a Collaborator on the Wise Ancestors Platform. As a Collaborator, you can apply to complete phases of Conservation Challenges. If selected to complete a phase, you will work with the Wise Ancestors team to create a collaboration agreement, and once your phase has been completed satisfactorily, you will receive the agreed upon compensation. Join a more streamlined and efficient approach to working on biodiversity conservation while supporting Indigenous and Local Communities’ roles in land and species stewardship. Apply to be a collaborator on the Wise Ancestors Platform simply by opening the link, then click on "Become collaborator,” fill in your email address and follow the registration steps!