 Across the world, millions of people rely on hunting wild animals and fishing for their food, livelihoods and cultural identities. In a remote rural community, Alex and his brother go hunting with their friend Euio. The boys hunt mainly antelope, wild pig and smaller animals such as fish, turtles and birds. Sometimes they bring home an unusual kill. Alex's mother cooks some of the meat for the family and his father sells the rest at the market to pay for the younger children's schooling. Though from different villages, the boys have been friends for most of their lives but now Leo is going away for a long time to study. When he returns for a visit some years later, things look different. More hunters have been coming to the forest from other areas. There are fewer animals and Alex and his brother have to walk much further to hunt. Leo is concerned that if hunting for wild meat is not carefully managed, the animals will die out and many people will go hungry. Leo tells Alex and his family about one new initiative called the Sustainable Wildlife Management Program that he's now working for. The program is concerned about the drop in wildlife numbers as the world changes. They work with communities to find solutions that can help both animals and people. Alex feels the program would help his community and asks Leo to come with him to talk to the chief. The chief listens to Alex and agrees to call a community meeting. He asks Leo to bring them more information about the program. Leo and his colleague Barbara tell the community that the program wants to work with communities who are concerned that there are fewer wild animals to hunt, eat and sell. They want to help communities find solutions such as improving the way hunting is managed while still respecting traditional and cultural practices. Some families are struggling to understand the dialect spoken by Barbara. Leo translates what she has said. It's crucial that everyone is a part of the discussion and decision making. Leo tells the community he will share the opportunities and challenges around the program and then it's up to them to decide if and how they want to be part of the initiative. He encourages them to ask questions if they don't understand something and to speak freely and openly. He acknowledges that he doesn't know everything about their community and says together they can find ways to combine the program's approaches with their own local knowledge to find solutions that work for them. Most importantly, they should take all the time they need to think about their needs and their future and agree on solutions they want to implement. But they can also withdraw their consent as a group at any time if they disagree on something. The program refers to this as getting the free, prior and informed consent of the community. To allow everyone to be part of the discussion and express their needs, Leo and Barbara divide the community into smaller groups. There is a group for women, for elders, for the youth and for those from ethnic minorities. Within their groups, people ask for many things. A young man asks whether the program can help the community build a football field. Leo explains that the program is only allowed to help with sustainable wildlife management while ensuring that people have enough food to meet their needs. A woman says the men should stop hunting animals that are threatened and only hunt those that have large numbers and breed quickly. Another woman asks if they can help them establish new sources of food, such as fish farming. Alex's sister asks if they can rather help them with goat farming. Barbara says the program can help with these types of initiatives. A young man asks if the program will lead to more money. Another asks if they can help with his trade in wild meat. Leo says the program will work with the community to develop and implement their own rules around hunting. This will ensure there is enough wildlife to meet the community's needs now and in the future. An elder says there should be no hunting or program activities in sacred areas of the forest. Leo agrees this is very important. After the small group discussions, Leo addresses the community as a whole. He says the community will be actively participating in shaping, implementing and monitoring the activities. But he or other SWM colleagues will come back regularly to check on the progress being made. They will facilitate further discussions, provide training when needed and help the community make further decisions. If anyone is unhappy with the way the program is being run, they can anonymously share their complaints. And the SWM team will work with the community to address them. This is known as the grievance redress mechanism. Alex and his family are excited about the program, but some of the families feel uncertain. The chief asks Leo to give the community time to think among themselves. The chief will inform him when they can meet again. After several more meetings like this, the community agrees to participate. To start off, they agree to share information on local hunting practices and to have training on livestock farming. They have chosen the chief and a member of each small group to be their representatives. They read out loud the agreement with the program and sign or fingerprint it. The community celebrates the occasion to make the agreement official. Leo tells the community he will continue to consult with them. The agreement process will not end there. Alex is looking forward to seeing how things can change and how his community and the lives of his family will improve. So just remember, as local and indigenous communities, you have the right to give your free, prior and informed consent before any sustainable wildlife management activities can begin. You decide together whether you want to take part. We will share all the information you need to help you decide. We will jointly design and carry out the activities. We will work hand in hand with you to succeed.