Conservationists need to build high-performing, well-managed, strategically adept organizations that deliver results. Ultimately if we are going to save the planet, we need not only greater financial investment and more ambitious policy targets - we need truly outstanding conservation organizations as well.
Read MoreAcross the world, women continue to make strides in spaces that previously were not accessible to them. In honor of International Women's Day, we spoke with three female conservation leaders on what changes they've seen, and what opportunities they believe there are for women leaders in this field.
Read MoreAs I went to bed that night, the dusty wind rattling my tent, I thought about how the invisible scorpions of GZT’s Samburu headquarters were a metaphor for the challenges of management. You can oftentimes ‘get by’ as a manager, but there are probably a lot of near-misses that could be avoided if management wasn’t so commonly done in the dark. With more care, thought, and preparation you can almost certainly avoid serious problems.
Read MoreIn Brief: For centuries, the Maasai living in Kenya’s South Rift Valley have used and managed the land in a way that supports both livestock and wildlife. This approach provides the foundation of community conservation and today this area serves as an important model of co-existence and wildlife restoration in Kenya and beyond, where people, livestock and wildlife live together and benefit from each other.
Read MoreIn Brief: Secure community land rights and new market opportunities from carbon credits have enabled the Hadza hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania- one of East Africa’s most unique cultures- to develop an award-winning model for indigenous-led conservation, while protecting their territories and culture.
Read MoreA prominent new paper in the leading journal Science documents what all conservationists in East Africa already know: that growing human populations, settlements and infrastructure are increasing pressure on even the largest protected areas, and making it even more important to develop conservation approaches that reconcile the needs of people and wildlife.
Read MoreA good strategic plan should address a core set of questions – here are three simple and basic ones that we always push our partners to answer:
What does an organization do uniquely well?
What does an organization need to get better at?
What should an organization not be doing at all?
Enduimet is one of two community Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in northern Tanzania that I’ve visited in the past couple of months. Both WMAs–Enduimet and Randilen–offer impressive landscapes and wildlife, and a unique tourism experience that goes beyond park boundaries. But while these places may seem wild, they actually require a huge amount of investment by people to make them work.
Read More“This is unlike anything I’ve experienced before in this field’ and ‘I wish I could have been part of something like the African Conservation Leadership Network (ACLN) ten years ago!”
Reported members of the 2018 ACLN cohort that met for the second time in Naivasha, Kenya in September 2018 for a week-long session to improve practical organizational leadership and management skills.
Read MoreIn May 2018, the second cohort began the programme at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, where seventeen leaders from nine African organisations working in Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia and Zambia. Facilitated by the Maliasili team, the first week laid the foundations for personal learning and leadership - delving deeply into self-awareness and the impact of personality on leadership style.
Read MoreHuman resources (HR) plays a critical role in shaping organizational culture. African CSOs face a complex internal challenge: how to balance the passion and commitment of individuals with an entire organization whose achievements are greater than the sum of its parts.
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