Coming May 7, 2024
Laly Lictenfeld &
Neovitus Sianga
Ep. 3: Ongoing Wins for Nature
Neovitus Sianga
Laly Lichtenfeld
In This Episode:
Laly Lichtenfeld and Neovitus Sianga’s work at African People and Wildlife (AP&W) centers on the linkages between people, wildlife and the diverse ecosystems they call home. For decades surrounding their base of operations in Tanzania there have been intense and seemingly intractable conflicts between wildlife and people. Since 2005 AP&W has been making impressive progress on mitigating these conflicts with simple, ingenious solutions that can be implemented by livestock managers and whole communities on their own. Importantly, they support the use of these solutions through a multitude of ongoing programs that include youth environmental education, women-owned business ventures, continuous monitoring and evaluation, and infrastructure such as their now famous living wall enclosures to protect livestock from predators. As a result, their methodology and values-based approach is being replicated across Africa where others seek similarly effective solutions to help nature and humans coexist.
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African People & Wildlife
The mission of APW is to protect wildlife, invest in people, and restore balance to Africa’s vital ecosystems through effective conservation action, applied science, and collective impact. The organization currently partners with 76 communities in six conservation landscapes across northern Tanzania, respectfully integrating science and traditional knowledge to benefit both people and nature.
Laly Lichtenfeld
Join Laly from Tanzania to learn about the incredible conservation work she's doing with lions. Laly co-founded African People & Wildlife in 2005 to empower rural communities to conserve and benefit from their surrounding wildlife and natural resources. A 20-year resident of Tanzania, Laly specializes in holistic, landscape-level approaches to conservation and community development. As one of the few female CEOs in East African conservation, she is also passionate about elevating rural women as environmental leaders and drivers of social change in their communities. She's a National Geographic Explorer, a recipient of the 2016 Lowell Thomas Award for Open Space Conservation from the historic Explorers Club, and a 2019 Women of Discovery Awardee. In 2019, Laly was honored to be named a “Woman of Impact” by the National Geographic Society and featured among some of the world’s leading female visionaries in Women of Impact: Changing the World, a one-hour documentary aired on the National Geographic Channel.
Living Walls
The death of a cow, goat, or sheep represents a serious loss for rural people, who may kill wild predators in retaliation. We co-designed Living Walls as a win-win solution for people and nature, working with community members to install environmentally friendly corrals that keep livestock safe. To date, more than 2,000 Living Walls positively impact 23,600+ people and keep more than 309,000 livestock safe every night. Living Walls have led to the planting of more than 344,000 living native trees.
Women’s Beekeeping Initiaive
APW’s Women’s Beekeeping Initiative empowers more than 1,900 women across northern Tanzania to develop and grow their own environmentally friendly businesses. Beekeeping activities provide the dual benefit of improving women's economic status and autonomy while helping to protect critical habitats for large carnivores, prey species, and livestock.
ACTIVE Community Engagement
ACTIVE™ Community Engagement training offers practical methods and strategies for organizations to create and sustain meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with local people. Developed by African People & Wildlife, the ACTIVE™ methodology is the culmination of nearly 20 years of on-the-ground experience partnering with rural communities to achieve successful, long-term conservation outcomes.