Earlier this month (December 2023), I visited Manyara Ranch in Tanzania. The African Wildlife Foundation has been working here for over 20 years to restore an important section of one of the two remaining wildlife corridors between Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. It is a unique community conservation model for Tanzania, where we’ve successfully blended a livestock operation with wildlife.
Antoine Tabu, African Wildlife Foundation's DRC Country Coordinator, explains why he believes that the promotion of local communities' well-being is crucial to the success of sustainable tourism in DRC. "We can do everything in the field of conservation, but as long as man is not at the center, poaching will continue to increase in our protected areas; and the local community and indigenous peoples will continue to stand in the way of any conservation action."
In honor of World Ranger Day 2023, AWF celebrates Evaline Adei Ayepa, a community conservation ranger helping mitigate human-wildlife conflict and wildlife crime in the Kidepo landscape.
Environmental and conservation literacy is key in creating jobs while equipping citizens to engage with their governments in meaningful ways to address the surging climate crisis.