Organizations around the world are striving to advance their missions of conserving biodiverse ecosystems. While sharing the aim to conserve the natural environment, these institutions differ in their methods. Over the last several decades, one method that has gained global popularity in the field of conservation is community-based conservation (CBC). This approach endeavors to conserve environments in targeted conservation areas by working with local communities. Organizations implement this strategy in various ways. Some tactics and strategies exemplify a top-down approach in their planning to achieve their mission and serve the interests of the local community. In this approach, while communities are seen as beneficiaries and sometimes participants, local knowledge and methodologies are often marginalized and not incorporated into conservation action. Conversely, some organizations integrate Indigenous and local community knowledge into their strategy, seeking to take actions that include and harmonize community knowledge with the shared goals of biodiversity conservation and community development simultaneously. In this session, we bring together scientists and conservation practitioners from a wide variety of tropical contexts to discuss benefits, challenges, and specific methods for integrating local knowledge within conservation. Our goal is to have conservationists who practice this approach share their experiences, so that conference attendees can be informed about the benefits and challenges of this strategy. We know that our planet is currently facing increasing challenges, and many natural ecosystems, along with the biodiversity they contain, are in peril. We need innovative approaches to tackle conservation problems, especially in tropical areas where climate change and poverty are more devastating to fragile natural ecosystems. This year's conference theme is very appropriate for bringing this topic to the table for everyone to contribute.