Impact, Together

Key individuals working on the frontline of community-led initiatives in ecosystem protection share their views on how community agency is vital in catalysing lasting change.

Sam Shaba, Programs Manager, Honeyguide Foundation

Conservation in Africa is already rooted in community. These natural ecosystems still exist because people have looked after them for generations. We can’t teach communities how to be guardians of the land, they already know that better than anyone. The issue now is one of space; despite the vastness of these ecosystems, we can’t divide these landscapes into separate areas for humans and wildlife. If communities are really in the driving seat, they take ownership of the challenges and the solutions; they see the value of conservation in their lives; they will protect the natural resources. And we know community-driven conservation solutions are always cheaper and more sustainable than the alternatives. One of the biggest barriers we face is a negative narrative around community-led conservation, and the misconception that we need to intervene. We need to take success stories as proof of concept, and then fund and support community approaches.

Phoebe Nadupoi, Chief Communications & Fundraising Officer, Mara Conservancies

It’s not just important, it’s essential for communities to directly benefit from conservation for it to be sustainable. Kenya is a signatory to the High Ambition Coalition and is committed to setting 30% of land aside for conservation. Right now, there is no additional land that the government can set aside without including areas that are owned by individuals or communities. They have to be beneficiaries. A recent study showed that 83.4% of wildlife in the Mara was found outside of the National Game Reserve demonstrating how important community land is in terms of conserving wildlife and biodiversity. Working together with communities we can balance the need for protection with maintaining traditional lifestyles, whilst also providing them with guaranteed income from leasing the land and other benefits. Currently, we are working to increase the land area protected by the conservancy model, and bring in further benefits, and revenue diversification to the people who live within this space.

Godson Mollel, Positive Impact and Sustainability Officer, Asilia

Benefiting people through education, decision-making, and financial benefits, has the greatest impact for positive change. It’s important to engage with communities in all conservation activities because it is people who can choose to destroy the environment around them or build a sustainable future for it and in doing so, themselves. They must be involved in the conversation and direction of action to ensure that nature is protected. When people are not involved, they are less inclined to look after the wildlife because it has less value to them. Barriers include a lack of knowledge about conservation, reliance on a traditional pastoralist lifestyle, and lack of finance. We need to provide the right information about why nature is so important, so they want to become its guardians. When this is done successfully, communities become involved. We must keep meeting with people, leaders, and government organisations to ensure everyone benefits.

Sheila Makindara, Head of Community, Six Rivers Africa

Centering local communities in protecting the ecosystems fosters a sense of ownership and makes them beneficiaries. When people feel connected to and responsible for their local environment, they are more likely to actively participate in initiatives and adopt sustainable practices. Additionally, local communities possess valuable knowledge about ecosystems, resources, and challenges. Engaging them allows us to tap into this expertise, and not engaging them risks the long-term sustainability of conservation efforts. In the conservation sector, an absence of diversified revenue will intensify threats to natural resources from park encroachment. For work to be sustainable there are also many other issues to address, including human-wildlife conflict, improvements in local services such as health, education, and running water. Ensuring the community directly benefits from any work to protect ecosystems is how we can ensure people and wild spaces can thrive together.

Supuk Olekao, Manager, Makame Wildlife Management Area

Rural communities need to be trained on conservation, good governance, and involved in all the decision-making. Over the next 10 years, I think the biggest positive impact on the future of people and wildlife in East Africa will be understanding how to manage resources sustainably. At Makame, we have established an integrated and self-financing area in which nationally important biodiversity is protected, essential ecological processes are sustained, and local people and stakeholders fully support and benefit from the wildlife. We have challenged the perceived cost of protection and are able to do it for significantly less than traditional models because the community is our eyes and ears on the ground. When they see something suspicious, they alert the rangers, who then respond. This way, rangers don’t need to be constantly patrolling, making protection very cost-effective over such a large area. This is only possible when the community benefits from wildlife protection.

The Challenges

Rewriting the Rules