Blog Post

Engaging Local Communities in Conservation

More highlights from the 2009 National Geographic Explorers Symposium:

  • Filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert spoke of a partnership with the Maasai in southeastern Kenya, where fewer than 200 lions survive, that has reduced lion deaths from 40 a year to one in the last 18 months, of the shooting of Botswana‘s last black rhino, and of a reintroduction program that has restored them to the wild.

  • Ethnobotanist and Nat Geo Emerging Explorer Grace Gobbo praised officials in Tanzania for recognizing a legacy of poor conservation outcomes where local communities were not involved, and for restoring management authority to communities.

  • Nat Geo Emerging Explorer and Conservationist Shafqat Hussain described an insurance program that compensates herders in Pakistan‘s Himalaya for lost livestock, and the return of a trapped snow leopard to the wild.

More to explore…

  • National Geographic Book and DVD: Relentless Enemies by Beverly and Dereck Joubert

Back to Top
About National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.