Strategy Development for Human-Animal Coexistence

Human-caused disruption to our natural systems is accelerating the climate crisis, weakening our ability to avert disease and speeding up the rate of biodiversity loss. With this rapid pace of change, conservation and human health have become intrinsically interwoven.

Recognising the importance of planetary health, Scope supported Save the Elephants in a collaborative strategy process to shape long-term human-animal coexistence models that benefit both people and wildlife. As part of the process, we also looked at new ways to mitigate climate-related threats to habitats and biodiversity.

The project brought together Save the Elephants’ and Scope’s interdisciplinary teams and organisational partners from the conservation, research, and funding community. The project engaged participants in a series of investigation and learning cycles that formed the design process of the organisation’s 2022–2025 strategy.

Project approach

The project engaged participants in a rapid, tailored sprint process. Sprints are facilitated, outcome-oriented learning cycles that focus on solving particular organisational challenges at hand. Save the Elephants’ strategy-building process consisted of three complementary sprints:

1. Participatory Discovery Sprint to map the existing ecosystem of activity and identify challenges, opportunities, and drivers for change that influence future direction, generating insights that serve as the building blocks for strategy creation.
2. Collective Futures Sprint to bring together an interdisciplinary, inclusive pool of participants to build alternative future scenarios, draft an ideal future vision, and chart a near future view that further informs strategy-building.
3. Collaborative Strategy Sprint to refine the vision, mission, and organisational value proposition for 2022–2025 as well as to develop the organisation’s strategic objectives, milestones, and indicators for success to finalise the strategy at the leadership level.

Project outcomes

After completing the sprint process, Scope supported Save the Elephants in finalising the strategy documents, designed a visualised future vision statement, and created an inspiring, three-year roadmap for change. Together these documents formed the 2022–2025 strategy that enables Save the Elephants to achieve collective impact across all its future activities.