Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting animals and their environments. What many people don’t realize is that conservation is actually about people. The biggest threat to wildlife today is human expansion. As our population continues to grow and our societies become more urbanized, we leave few wild spaces for the animals that need them.
Learning to live alongside wildlife while supporting a family is a daily struggle for many people across the world. It is often difficult to find alternatives that allow both people and animals to survive. In order for conservation efforts to be effective, they must involve the communities they are trying to protect. For example, certain communities in East Africa walk four hours every day to fetch water! A non-governmental organization (NGO) decides to build a well in the heart of the community. But what if these people enjoyed the walk? What if it helped them form social bonds or preserve cultural traditions? Without proper research, interventions can do more harm than good.
Effective conservation is concerned with the needs of the people, not about what outsiders believe they need. Much money and effort could have been spared if outsiders truly understood the needs and culture of these East African communities. This scenario has played out countless times across the world, including in Madagascar.
