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African Conservation Who can best steward Africa's last ecosystems and awe-inspiring wildlife for generations to come? This is a question that can only be answered by asking those who share their homes with the roaring lion, the majestic elephant, and the stealthy leopard. In short, these creatures and the land upon which they tread belong to the African people, and it is the African people who must decide their future by becoming a more integral part of the conservation process. While this should not exclude foreigners from getting involved - though there have certainly been cases of foreign intervention having done more harm than good - in an effort to help, it would do well to remember that those most severely impacted by human-wildlife conflict and crushing poverty should be the ones who lead, who make the most pivotal decisions, and who will benefit the greatest from best-laid plans to preserve any remaining corner of African wilderness along with the wildlife that inhabits it. Be they Bantu or Khoisan, Tswana, Zulu, or Karamojong, conservationists must first heed the voices of the African people - wildlife's best and only true hope for survival. I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me. - Kwame Nkrumah |
Karamojong farmers
Lake Mutanda
Northern Uganda - South Sudan
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