A 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.

A new paper published in the journal PLoS One provides important evidence for the conservation impacts of Maliasili partners working with the Hadza hunter-gatherers and other local communities in Tanzania’s Yaeda Valley.

A 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.

“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.

In 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.

Recently I listened to a conservationist tell the story of how he had founded a very successful conservation organization, only to be eventually fired by the board he had himself built up over the years. What had occurred was that his organization had established a strong track record of achievement and impact, and resulting growth in its funding, staff, and board. 

Human 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.