Transformative Interspecies Democracies (TIDE)

Building a research and education centre for interspecies flourishing

We are creating an Interspecies Co-Learning Community and Research Centre (hereafter ‘the Centre’) — a hybrid space that combines an animal sanctuary, eco-conscious co-living, and an educational centre for academic research and public engagement.

People

Researcher

• Dr Cebuan Bliss

Background

After finishing her PhD, Cebuan was looking for a way to move from theory into practice when it comes to more-than-human representation and flourishing. She devised the idea for the Centre based on the following:

• The growing academic interest in animal-related research – as well as academics looking for more embodied ways of understanding animals, beyond theoretical concepts.

• The need for networking to enable interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration between academics, activists, policy-makers etc.

• The opportunities for collaborative partnerships with NGOs for animal welfare, rewilding, nature restoration and permaculture.

• Nature-based education increasingly seen as important (for all ages).

• The need for a first aid centre for wild animals in the region

• There is no wildlife sanctuary in Portugal for injured animals that cannot be released.

This is the Centre’s vision: Flourishing multispecies communities, where nature restoration and compassion towards self and others is prioritised.

Aims/Objectives

The Centre’s Mission is to pioneer a model of compassionate coexistence that deepens human–animal-nature relationships, and inspires regenerative multispecies community living through research, education and practice.

Key aims and objectives:

• Animal Sanctuary & Ethical Rewilding: Build a micro sanctuary for wild and farmed animals, with care grounded in principles of animal dignity and multispecies justice. Restoring land to encourage biodiversity abundance.

• Educational Programmes: Interspecies co-led workshops, summer schools, and retreats for academics, students, and the public on topics such as compassionate conservation, multispecies justice, and ethical sustainable living.

• Research & Consultancy: Partnering with universities, NGOs, and policy-makers to conduct applied research, and offer consultancy on the realities of interspecies community living and biodiversity governance.

• Local Community Collaboration: Running joint projects and events with local schools, restorative/permaculture farmers, artists and environmental groups to strengthen community bonds and promote ecological stewardship. Working with local farmers to improve animal welfare and strengthen nature-friendly farming. Providing jobs for and volunteering opportunities for local people.

Methods

The Centre will prioritise animal-led and animal-centred design. It will experiment with, and put into practice, more-than-human board/governance representation, based on principles of kincentric leadership. Methods will vary according to the research being undertaken. Example topics for (academic) research at the Centre include:

• Animal/interspecies communication

• Animal cultures

• Animal ethics, law, rights, and dignity

• Animal sentience

• AI and animals

• Biodiversity/environmental governance

• Caring for animals in disasters (e.g. wildfires)

• Compassionate and convivial conservation

• (Deep) green ecology

• Degrowth

• Ecopedagogy, wild pedagogy and education

• Ecopsychology

• Environmental justice

• Human-wildlife conflict and coexistence (HWCC)

• Nature connectedness

• Multispecies ethnography

• Mulitspecies design

• (Compassionate) rewilding

• Restorative farming

• Storytelling/arts-based techniques

• Transitions and transformative governance

• Vegan permaculture

• (Natural) veterinary medicine – animal wellbeing

Example workshops and events

• An introduction to intuitive interspecies communication

• Multispecies deliberations - animal perspective-taking and representation

• Nature-based learning techniques

• Storytelling

• Wild animal welfare

• Medicinal plants for animal healing

• Animal-friendly permaculture

• (Academic) writing retreat

• Artist residency

Outcomes

More-than-human inclusive legal statutes are currently being written. By the end of 2026, it is expected that the Centre will be registered as an NGO (association) in Portugal. Building will also start for guest accommodation, a multi-purpose workshop space, and initial animal accommodation.

Get Involved

This project is in its start-up phase. If you would like to learn more about the project, or to offer help, advice or financing, please contact Dr Cebuan Bliss.