Wise Ancestors

29/10/2026

22/10/2026

COP17 Armenia is in full swing and we’ve got two more events on Sunday and Tuesday all about our work at the intersection of DSI (Digital Information Sequence) for species conservation, Indigenous Data Sovereignty ( ), and supporting people and ecosystems through “benefit sharing.”

We’re honored to discuss these topics alongside the following organizations: International Union of Biological Sciences, DSI Scientific Network, UN Biodiversity, and Interdisciplinary Digital Sequence Information (iDSI) Research Group. Our presentations will highlight our work with Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (Instituto Humboldt Colombia), Neotropical innovation® [Innovación Neotropical]], and Iniciativa de Conservación del Montañerito Paisa (iCMP).

Special shout-out to our collaborators for Wise Ancestors Conservation Challenges 3-7 in Antioquia, Colombia: Biomonitores_Norte, Gustavo A. Bravo, Angélica Paola Diaz Pulido, Max Laubstein, Mailyn Adriana Gonzales Herrera, Santiago Chiquito, and Jhon César Neita Moreno.

Learn more about our agenda at the link in the first comment of this post!

21/10/2026

What if we applied Indigenous and genomic science to address the species extinction crisis?

Digital Journal recently interviewed Katie Jones, our Community Engagement Director and enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation, about the limits of “modern conservation,” and how Wise Ancestors Conservation Challenges address these limitations. To read it in full, see our link in bio (click the linktree link).

Katie will be presenting at the following event at COP17 Armenia on Sunday, October 25th:
🧬 DSI and Benefit Sharing: Experiences and Lessons Learned from Research Partnerships at the UN Biodiversity Science Policy Forum from 15:00 - 16:30. For more information, please visit our blog post here see our blog post at our link in bio (click the linktree link).

20/10/2026

Two COP17 Armenia events down in two days! The Wise Ancestors delegation (Katie Jones & Solenne Correard) have been busy in Yerevan, presenting at the Academia and Research Organisations group Hub and IUCN Pavilion alongside Erik Zhivkoplias from Stockholm Resilience Centre.

See below for where we’ll be next, and if you’d like to schedule a time to connect please DM us!

🧬 Sunday, October 25th from 15:00 - 16:30 in the UN Biodiversity’s Science Policy Forum (8A) for a presentation about DSI and benefit sharing, highlighting experiences and lessons learned from research partnerships with Instituto Humboldt Colombia, Neotropical innovation® [Innovación Neotropical]], and Iniciativa de Conservación del Montañerito Paisa (iCMP) for two endemic bird species, one of which is critically endangered and the other has yet to be described by Western science. Learn more about the event in our blog post, which you can find in our linktree link in our bio. Learn more about the project there too!

🧬 Tuesday, October 27th from 11:30 - 13:00 with Interdisciplinary Digital Sequence Information (iDSI) research group for a UN Biodiversity side event. Join us for a presentation, “Bridging Siloes: From Fragmented Perspectives to Connected DSI Approaches for Effective and Inclusive Policies.” Learn more about the event in our blog post, which you can find in our linktree link in our bio.

16/10/2026

Join us in the IUCN Pavilion at COP17 Armenia for an expansive conversation about DSI (Digital Sequence Information)!

Despite its importance to biodiversity research and international policy, the value chains of DSI remain opaque and its governance complex.

DSI is the policy term that refers broadly to genomic sequences (such as an organism’s DNA and RNA sequences).

This participatory session brings together two complementary but distinct approaches: one that makes DSI value chains more visible through public data, and one that grounds genomic work in community-led conservation and Indigenous data sovereignty.

We invite discussion on fostering sustainable and ethical relationships with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in species conservation.

Speakers:
🧬 Katie Jones, (enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation also known as Amskapi Piikani) Wise Ancestors Community Engagement Director
🧬 Solenne Correard, Wise Ancestors Genomics Director
🧬 Erik Zhivkoplias, Stockholm Resilience Centre Researcher

For more details and livestream link, please our blog post at our link in bio!

16/10/2026

We’re excited to share our vision for equitable biodiversity conservation and restoration at 4 events throughout COP17 Armenia, starting Monday!

If you’re interested in how Indigenous rights and knowledge systems, genomics, and decentralized science can come together for high impact, community-led species conservation, please see our speaking engagements and events below.
To set up a meeting with our delegation (Solenne Correard and Katie Jones), please see the link in the bio for details!

Shout-out to the following individuals and organizations, we’re grateful to be collaborating with you during : Stockholm Resilience Centre, Erik Zhivkoplias, IUCN, International Union of Biological Sciences, UN Biodiversity, and Academia and Research Organisations group.

13/10/2026

Community-led conservation is not only the most ethical path for biodiversity conservation and restoration, it also leads to better outcomes for people, species, and ecosystems.

A landmark study in 2021 called, “The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation,” looked at the conservation outcomes of 169 conservation projects around the world. The authors found that projects controlled by Indigenous Peoples and/or Local Communities reported positive outcomes from both human well-being and conservation 56% of the time. In contrast, projects that were controlled by external groups only had positive outcomes 16% of the time.

At Wise Ancestors, 100% of our projects, or as we call them Conservation Challenges, are co-developed with Indigenous Peoples and/or Local Communities. By doing so, we center a community’s interests and goals at every stage of a project’s development. To learn more about our active projects, please visit the Wise Ancestors Platform in our link in bio (tap linktree).

This quote by our Community Engagement Director, Katie Jones, is from a Digital Journal article, “The world’s biodiversity crisis is exposing the limits of modern conservation.” To read the full article, please visit our link in bio (tap linktree).

Photo was taken via drone from community engagement trip with Wise Ancestors Conservation Challenge 3-7 partners including:
🧬 Gustavo A. Bravo and Angélica Paola Diaz Pulido from Instituto Humboldt Colombia,
🧬 Santiago Chiquito from Neotropical innovation® [Innovación Neotropical]] & Iniciativa de Conservación del Montañerito Paisa (iCMP)
🧬 Biomonitores_Norte

12/10/2026

Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor and celebrate Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island (North America), whose knowledge, cultures, and stewardship have sustained biodiversity and healthy ecosystems for millennia.

Indigenous Peoples are leaders in protecting our planet’s biodiversity. Their deep relationships with the natural world, rooted in generations of knowledge and science, and cultural traditions, offer invaluable insights into resilience and living in reciprocity with nature.

At Wise Ancestors, we believe protecting biodiversity must go hand in hand with respecting Indigenous rights, supporting Indigenous-led conservation, and upholding Indigenous data sovereignty and governance. This includes the right of Indigenous Peoples to control how data and knowledge related to their communities, lands, and waters are collected, sampled, and shared. Today and every day, we celebrate Indigenous knowledge systems and leadership which is vital to protect and restore nature for a livable future.



Photo taken on The Blackfeet Nation.

30/09/2026

New York Climate Week just wrapped up, where issues and solutions to the climate crisis were top of mind for many global leaders, NGOs, philanthropists, media organizations, thought leaders, and the like.

So here’s a solution you may not be familiar with: protecting the genetic diversity of species. 🧬

We invite you to take some time to scroll through and learn more about the importance of genetic diversity as a climate solution.

At Wise Anceators, we co-create high impact conservation projects that apply Indigenous and genomic science, and a decentralized online platform, with community engagement and leadership. We have several projects co-created with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from around the world that are generating world-first genomic data sets for the purpose of protecting genetic diversity of species and protecting and restoring biodiversity.

🧬 Visit our link in bio to learn more about our work and how you can support!

If you have any questions about this post, please let us know in the comments.

29/09/2026

Exciting news! We’re headed to COP17 Armenia, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, next month!

Katie Jones (Community Engagement Director) and Dr. Solenne Correard will be representing the Wise Ancestors team.

Stay tuned for more details about our presence at one of the world’s largest gatherings on biodiversity conservation. Let us know in the comments if you’ll be there too!