How community-led conservation can save wildlife

I'm a lion conservationist.

Sounds cool, doesn't it?

Some people may have no idea
what that means.

But I'm sure you've all heard
about Cecil the Lion.

[Cecil the Lion (2002-2015)]

(Lion roaring)

He rose no more on July 2, 2015.

His life was cut short
when he was killed by a trophy hunter.

They say that you can become attached
to the animals you study.

That was the case for me
with Cecil the Lion.

Having known him
and studied him for three years

in Hwange National Park.

I was heartbroken at his death.

But the good thing to come
out of this tragedy

is the attention that this story brought

towards the plight
of threatened wild animals.

After Cecil's death,

I began to ask myself these questions:

What if the community
that lived next to Cecil the Lion

was involved in protecting him?

What if I had met Cecil
when I was 10 years old, instead of 29?

Could I or my classmates
have changed his fate?

Many people are working
to stop lions from disappearing,

but very few of these people
are native to these countries,

or from the communities most affected.

But the communities
that live with the lions

are the ones best positioned
to help lions the most.

Local people should be at the forefront

of the solutions to the challenges
facing the wildlife.

Sometimes, change can only come

when the people most affected
and impacted take charge.

Local communities play an important role

in fighting poaching
and illegal wildlife trade,

which are major threats
affecting lions and other wildlife.

Being a black African woman
in the sciences,

the people I meet
are always curious to know

if I've always wanted
to be a conservationist,

because they don't meet
a lot of conservationists

who look like me.

When I was growing up,

I didn't even know that wildlife
conservation was a career.

The first time that I saw
a wild animal in my home country

was when I was 25 years old,

even though lions and African wild dogs

lived just a few miles away from my home.

This is quite common in Zimbabwe,

as many people
are not exposed to wildlife,

even though it's part of our heritage.

When I was growing up,

I didn't even know
that lions lived in my backyard,

when I stepped into
Savé Valley Conservancy

on a cold winter morning 10 years ago,

to study African wild dogs
for my master's research project.

I was mesmerized by the beauty
and the tranquility that surrounded me.

I felt like I had found my passion
and my purpose in life.

I made a commitment that day

that I was going to dedicate my life
to protecting animals.

I think of my childhood
school days in Zimbabwe,

and the other kids I was in school with.

Perhaps, if we had a chance
to interact with wildlife,

more of my classmates
would be working alongside me now.

Unless the local communities
want to protect and coexist with wildlife,

all conservation efforts might be in vain.

These are the communities
that live with the wild animals

in the same ecosystem,

and bear the cost of doing so.

If they don't have a direct connection,

or benefit from the animals,

they have no reason
to want to protect them.

And if local communities
don't protect their wildlife,

no amount of outside
intervention will work.

So, what needs to be done?

Conservationists must prioritize
environmental education

and help expand the community's skills
to conserve their wildlife.

School children and communities
must be taken to national parks,

so they get a chance
to connect with the wildlife.

At every effort and every level,

conservation must include
the economies of the people

who share the land with the wild animals.

It is also critical
that local conservationists

be part of every conservation effort,

if we are to build trust and really embed
conservation into communities.

As local conservationists,
we face many hurdles,

from outright discrimination
to barriers because of cultural norms.

But I will not give up my efforts

to bring indigenous
communities to this fight

for the survival of our planet.

I'm asking you to come
and stand together with me.

We must actively dismantle
the hurdles we have created,

which are leaving indigenous populations
out of conservation efforts.

I've dedicated my life
to protecting lions,

and I know my neighbor would too,

if only they knew the animals
that lived next door to them.

Thank you.

(Applause)