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Field Notes: Bringing Conservation to Life
- Alex Simiyu
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
When Connection Becomes Conservation
Impactful conservation action on the ground begins with people understanding and valuing the wildlife that share their landscapes. Across the areas where we work, we create opportunities that turn this idea into practice by providing spaces where knowledge is exchanged through lived experience, dialogue leads to practical action, and cultural traditions support conservation.
Through our community outreach programmes, we aim to connect people with nature, strengthen community bonds, and create an environment where key information is continually shared. From school trips to wildlife-rich areas, to film nights under open skies, cultural gatherings, and hands-on training, these initiatives demonstrate that conservation is most effective when people are engaged and connected to the natural world.
In this issue, we share stories of connection in action, each reflecting our commitment to making wildlife conservation something people experience and value in their daily lives.
Learning from the Wild: Wildlife Club Park Trips
For many children living at the edge of protected areas, lions and other wildlife exist more in stories than in first-hand experience, and those stories often focus on conflict: livestock killed by lions and other large carnivores, or crops destroyed by elephants. These narratives shape how young people perceive wildlife, creating fear and distrust that is rarely countered by positive encounters.
The Wildlife Club programme helps bridge that gap, allowing children to connect with wildlife conservation on a personal level and to form more hopeful stories about sharing the landscape with wild species. Once a year, we take Wildlife Club students on park trips that bring classroom lessons to life.
Last August, 360 students from five schools visited Nyerere National Park, gaining the opportunity to see wildlife up close. With a sense of anticipation, they travelled in the cool of early morning to Mtemere Gate, where the day began with a group photograph. Throughout the day, they encountered giraffes, elephants, kudu, impala, and even a leopard. One of the most memorable moments occurred at the hippo pool, where students observed hippos and crocodiles sharing the water and sketched what they saw in their notebooks.
By afternoon, beneath a large baobab tree, the students gathered to discuss what they had seen and reflect on what they had learned. They returned home with a greater awareness and understanding of the wildlife around them.
Key takeaway: Park trips help children see animals, including lions and other conflict-causing species, as more than ‘bogey men’ that come in the night to kill or destroy property. Instead, they see them as fellow creatures striving to raise their young and find food. By building deeper connections and understanding the importance of healthy ecosystems, we help shift young people’s perspectives on wildlife and hopefully, help inspire the next generation of conservationists.
Stories Under the Stars: Wildlife Film Showings
Knowledge is not only learned; it is shared. And sometimes, the best sharing happens under an open sky.
Throughout July and August, villages in the Ruaha Landscape came alive after dusk with wildlife film showings. For some attendees, it was their first time seeing lions and other wildlife through the lens of science and story. For others, the films opened space for discussions about living alongside these animals. For everyone, they offered new perspectives on lions and other large carnivores.
A screen became a window into predator–prey dynamics and the realities of coexistence. The discussions that followed were rich and diverse: elders shared lessons from their experiences, young people expressed hopes of seeing lions in the wild safely, and pastoralists explored practical ways to safeguard their livestock.
One elder noted, “We didn’t know why lions came close to our bomas (homesteads). Now we understand they follow livestock, especially when wild prey is scarce.”
For some participants, these evenings also opened doors to visit the park themselves. At the end of each event, a fair and exciting raffle was held, giving a few lucky participants the chance to visit Ruaha National Park.
Experiences like these transform understanding into lived experience, strengthen personal connections with wildlife, and encourage more positive attitudes that support coexistence.
Key takeaway: For many pastoralists living alongside lions and other large carnivores, experience of wildlife is often shaped by conflict and loss. Wildlife film nights broaden this perspective by building connections through understanding and illustrating the role these animals play in maintaining ecological balance. By creating opportunities for shared experiences and informed discussion, these evenings support practical understanding of carnivore behaviour and explore solutions that reduce conflict. Both are essential steps toward safe, lasting coexistence.
Culture and Conservation: Pastoralist Dance Events
Successful conservation solutions are not only rooted in science; they also depend on local culture, values, and knowledge. In Tanzania, community dances are an important part of local tradition, marking key celebrations and ceremonies. In the Ruaha and Selous–Nyerere Landscapes, we have developed a programme that builds on these gatherings as platforms for conservation dialogue with pastoralist communities.
Held monthly, the Pastoralist Dance Event brings together pastoralists, both long-term partners and new residents, to raise awareness about wildlife and coexistence through song, dance, and drama. Facilitated by our community liaisons, these events provide a culturally familiar setting where pastoralists can learn about conservation, understand how to seek support when needed, and share their own experiences.
On 4 September, more than 250 people gathered in Kihimbwa for one such event, enjoying traditional performances that were both entertaining and informative. A shared meal followed, creating a relaxed environment for open and constructive dialogue.
Together, the community and our team explored the meaning and practicalities of human–carnivore coexistence: stories of pride and peril, tradition and survival. They spoke about lions in the wild and the dangers posed by poaching and poisoning. The dances invited laughter, reflection, and conversation, creating space for honest discussion and mutual understanding.
Key takeaway: By grounding conservation messaging in local culture and tradition, we encourage open discussion, respect, and shared responsibility. This strengthens trust and commitment to practices that help safeguard local livelihoods from large carnivores and enable coexistence between people and wildlife.
Learning in the Field: Coexistence and Protection Training
Another way we invite dialogue and strengthen local capacity is through the Coexistence and Protection (CoPro) Training. CoPro Training equips a wide range of participants, from rangers to herders, with practical skills to monitor wildlife, understand carnivore behaviour, and reduce human–carnivore conflict across shared landscapes.
In August, Upper Naibung’a and Suyian Conservancies took part in CoPro sessions. Naibung’a, a newly established community conservancy, hosted its first training, while Suyian’s team attended a refresher to build on earlier sessions. Participants learned how to use SMART tools for data collection, interpret signs of wildlife activity, and implement practical solutions to prevent conflict between people and large carnivores.
These sessions give those working in the Laikipia Landscape the tools they need to better manage human–carnivore conflict through shared best practices, promoting wide-scale coexistence in their daily work.
Key takeaway: CoPro Training combines hands-on learning with data-driven tools and practical solutions that help conservation practitioners and others working across the Laikipia Landscape to address and manage human–carnivore conflict. By offering this training to a wide network of rangers, herders, and others on the front line, we help ensure a unified, informed, and effective response across the landscape.
Looking Ahead
Across our programmes and landscapes, a clear thread emerges: conservation begins with connection. Whether it’s a child sketching a leopard for the first time, a community discussing how to live alongside lions, or a song shared at a village gathering, each moment brings people and wildlife closer together.
As we move forward, we remain committed to building these connections with communities and partners, working towards healthy landscapes where both people and wildlife can thrive. Lasting conservation is never achieved in isolation; it grows through collaboration and shared understanding.
THANK YOU - ASANTE SANA
As always, we thank all our partners and sponsors for their continued generous support and commitment to our work.
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