Influencing the global through understanding the local: Harold Brookfield's contribution to international organisations' biodiversity policy

Abstract: This article focuses on a significant paradigm shift in the approaches to biodiversity conservation in the developing countries that has affected important international organisations, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This paradigm shift marks a movement beyond protected areas to production landscapes. It is argued that one particular project, People, Land Management and Environmental Change (PLEC), developed under the leadership of Harold Brookfield has contributed significantly to the shift. The project was instrumental in introducing the term ‘agrodiversity’ that encompasses biological diversity as well as the management diversity found in smallholder agricultural systems at all levels. The article describes the evolution of PLEC into a major international collaborative project funded through the GEF. It highlights the project's main achievements and its influence on the policy‐making in the GEF relying on the findings of independent evaluations.