I am a carnivore conservation biologist by training and am the Chair of the Wild Dog Advisory Group, South Africa. These days I mostly focus on providing strategic direction and oversight to a wide range of projects run by the Endangered Wildlife Trust across southern and parts of East Africa. Our work aims to reduce human impacts on threatened species and habitats in ways that bring benefits to both people and nature. I love working with teams to design new projects and create ways to deliver cost-effective and sustained impact.
In South Africa, private (and increasingly, communal) wildlife ranching has a really significant influence – sometimes positive, other times negative – on the distribution and abundance of a range of wildlife species. The trick is to find ways to maximize the biodiversity benefits of wildlife ranching, while removing some of its adverse effects (think intensive management), and ensuring that economic benefits are socially equitable.
