Our Mission
Strengthening the capacity of local communities to mitigate human-wildlife conflict (HWC) for improved livelihoods and wildlife conservation
Our Approach
Although one of our ultimate goals is to conserve wildlife, we also focus on empowering communities living adjacent to wildlife areas and improving their livelihoods. We believe that seeking and developing economic empowerment opportunities will have a net effect of reducing the community’s dependence on illegal activities i.e., bush meat poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
Our Vision
Communtiy-led Human widlife coexistence for improved livelihooods and thriving wildlife populations
Meet Our Team
We are a team of African Conservationists working to save our wildlife and improve the lives of the people that live alongside the wildlife.
Board Members
Liomba Junior
Mathe
Board Member
Liomba is a Zimbabwean-Oxford trained conservationist determined to understanding the complex patterns of Human predator-conflict along the edges of Protected Areas (PAs) and better contribute to improving rural livelihood systems by mitigating the conflict and provide ongoing contributions to conserve Africa’s lions. He is an active member of the African Lion Working Group (ALWG) and the KAZA Carnivore Conservation Coalition (KCCC), providing ongoing contributions to the conservation of the African lion.
Prof. Olga Laiza
Kupika
Board Member
Olga is a Natural Resources Conservationist and Climate Change expert, Associate Professor, and currently Chairperson in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe. She is passionate about education for sustainable development (ESD), green transition and climate change adaptation and mitigation in the biodiversity sector, participatory community-based natural resources monitoring, improvement of livelihoods and well-being of rural communities at the periphery of protected areas in Southern Africa and beyond.
Kimery Duda
Board Member
Kimery is an experienced teacher, tour guide, and founder of the Austin, Texas-based Expedition School. She is passionate about imparting environmental skills, knowledge, and wisdom to other people. An expedition to climb Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest peak, in 1996 inspired her passion for adventure. After ten years of teaching and guiding professionally all over the world, Kimery founded The Expedition School in 2006 an organization that develops and offers experiences that embody the expedition’s ethos—through adventure and education.
Maxwell Phiri
Board Member
Maxwell is a mature and seasoned Forester/Natural Resources management expert with over 25 years experience in Forestry and rural development in Zimbabwe.He has worked at both technical and middle management levels in the Government of Zimbabwe and at FAO. Currently coordinating the EU funded Sustainable Wildlife Management Project implemented on the Zimbabwe side of the KaZa site
Obert Manyeza
Board Member
Obert is a community development specialist with significant experience in, grant management, advocacy, policy tracking, programme and project design, capacity development, project implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation at national and regional levels. He has vast experience working with international development agencies. Obert is passionate about finding solutions that the human-wildlife conflicts affecting our rural communities living near national parks.
Our Team
Dr . Moreangels
Mbizah
Founder and Executive Director
Born and raised in Zimbabwe. She has a DPhil in Zoology from the University of Oxford. Moreangels is passionate about inspiring the next generation of African conservationists and building the capacity of future African conservation leaders.
Simbarashe Pride
Chatikobo
Conservation Science
Program manager
Simba holds a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Animal and Wildlife Sciences. He is passionate about local involvement in conservation matters and cultivating locally driven solutions to conservation challenges.
Tapiwa
Prosper
Chimbadzwa
Environmental Education & Awareness Program Manager
Tapiwa is a certified Peace Practitioner whose interest is vested in advocating for pro-poor policies for development, equal and meaningful participation of local communities in decision-making, and human-animal conflict mitigation. He holds a BSc Hons Degree in Peace, Conflict, and Governance from Great Zimbabwe University. Tapiwa believes that there should be peaceful coexistence between humans, wildlife, and the environment for the world to see positive peace.
Kudakwashe
Chuma
Nyaminyami Coexistence Project Officer
Kudakwashe is an astute environmentalist with a strong desire to see humans take full responsibility for environmental preservation. He holds a BSc Hons Degree in Geography and Environmental Sciences from Midlands State University. He envisions a society in which humans and animals coexist in peace and share available resources such as water, air, and land equally.
Lorraine
Jowa
Environmental Education
( GOTW) Project Officer
Lorraine holds a Bachelor's Science Honors Degree in Natural Resources Management. She loves to do game drives, and nature walks, and her hobby is Beekeeping. Lorraine desires to see a world where everyone has a voice and a place in the conservation of Natural Resources and our Environment.
Ngaakudzwe Tinotenda
Chifamba
Geographical Data Analyst
Ngaakudzwe Tinotenda Chifamba is a geographical data analyst. He graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a Bsc Hons Degree in Geographical Information Science and Earth Observation. Ngaakudzwe's interests are vested in spatial ecology and agriculture. He thinks that geographic information systems are a crucial tool for addressing the socioeconomic challenges caused by various land use practices and a great tool for tracking data and knowledge to enhance the management, monitoring of landscape use changes, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation of current and future wildlife conservation practices.
Charles Charinga
Charles grew up in Mola, where he witnessed lions and hyenas prey on livestock. He was inspired to participate in the development and implementation of livestock predation mitigation measures after firsthand experience with these negative human-animal interactions.
Pardon Siahundu
Pardon comes from a rural family where he spent his childhood dealing with wildlife. He's come to understand the value of wildlife to human survival and the ecosystem. As a result, he strives to promote human-animal coexistence by finding answers to the community's predation and crop-raiding issues.
Sailos Siangombe
Sailos is concerned about the decline of lion populations in the Nyaminyami District and around the world. As a result, he chose conservation as a means of helping to save lions from extinction and finding a solution to the community's predation problem, which is primarily caused by lions in the area that he comes from.
Chastity Chavonga
Chastity is enthusiastic about wildlife protection, and she was inspired to do so after growing up in an area with a diverse range of wildlife. She aspires to further her education and establish herself as a force to be reckoned with in the male-dominated profession of conservation.
Tapfumaneyi Sigundu
Tapfumaneyi Sigundu aims to foster human-wildlife coexistence by educating local communities about wildlife's importance. She also wants to be a part of developing and implementing livestock predation mitigation measures in the Mola area and elsewhere.
Governor Siajanika
Governor considers livestock farming to be a source of prosperity in his community, thus losing them is a significant loss. Given the scenario of cattle predation in the Mola area where he lives, he was inspired to try to develop long-term answers to the challenges that his community was experiencing. He also intends to continue his education and pursue a career in conservation.
Batabilili Community Guardians
Tellmore Siazembe
Tellmore is passionate about educating local communities about the importance of wildlife conservation through reducing human intrusion into wildlife regions and protecting wildlife corridors as a strategy of mitigating human-animal conflict. He believes that by doing so, humans and animals will be able to coexist peacefully.
Nyadzisai Munenga
Nyadzisai is a mother of two and an advocate for coexisting with nature. She ought to contribute to the cause by spreading awareness of wildlife conservation and the risks associated with improper livestock management in terms of protecting livestock from predators.
​Custardy Siachema
Custard is fervently committed to community-based wildlife protection. He is very keen to advance the coexistence of humans and carnivores in his community and to persuade the residents of his village of the value of proper livestock management
Our Attachment Students
Pelton Mumba
Attachment Student 2022-2023
A student at the Chinhoyi University of Technology pursuing a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Wildlife, Ecology, and Conservation. He is passionate about advocating for nature conservation through storytelling and documentation. He hopes to contribute as much in aspects of Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation through scientific research and videography. Pelton loves graphics designing and thinks that it is imperative in disseminating the conservation message in the technology era.
Nomthandazo
Ntuli
Attachment Student 2023
Nomthandazo, has a strong passion for the environment and believes that understanding it has never been more important than it is today, as it will be a drive to a sustainable use of our environment. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Forest Resources and Wildlife Management at the National University of Science Technology. She aspires to contribute to conservation through developing sustainable means of using the environment.
Ashely Tawanda
Remwa
Attachment Student 2023
Ashely is a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Natural Resources Management at Bindura University of Science Education. He is passionate about finding sustainable mitigation measures to human wildlife conflict through community empowerment and research. He believes that community-based conservation is the basis for human-wildlife coexistence.
Maclytte
Tsakatsa
Attachment Student 2023
Maclytte, passionate about women's participation in conservation and believes that the level of success of a particular community is measured by the degree of excellence that women in that community have achieved. She is pursuing an Animal and Wildlife Science student from Midlands State University ,and looking forward to contributing to human-wildlife coexistence through research.
Moono
Syapiila
Attachment Student 2022
Moono is studying an Animal Science and Rangeland Management Bachelor of Agriculture Sciences Honours Degree at Lupane State University. Attached at our Nyaminyami Coexistence Project. Moono grew up in a rural household in Zambia's Sinasongwe, where she witnessed human-animal conflict. This encounter has inspired her to pursue a degree in wildlife sciences in order to effectively contribute to the development of sustainable human-animal conflict mitigation methods as a strategy to support peaceful coexistence between humans and animals
Tumelo
Mudimba
Attachment Student 2022
Tumelo is a student at the University of Zimbabwe. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Biological Sciences majoring in Ecology. Attached at our Shangani Ranch Carnivore Project. He is enthusiastic about long-term wildlife management. His conservation efforts are motivated by firsthand experiences of wildlife population decimation due to poaching in his rural home of Binga, Sinampande
Francisca
Chipare
Attachment Student 2022
Francisca is a student at the Chinhoyi University of Technology, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Wildlife, Ecology, and Conservation. Attached at our Shangani Ranch Carnivore Project. She is passionate about wildlife biology and hopes to make a significant contribution to endangered species conservation through research and advocacy.Apart from academics she is a cricketer, who plays for Zimbabwe Women Cricket team.
Goodman
Zhongove
Attachment Student 2022
Goodman is a student at Lupane State University. He is undertaking a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Wildlife Resources Management. He is interested in research and scientific publication. His conservation fight is to prevent extinction so that the beauty of all wildlife resources can continue to be appreciated by generations to come. He was part of our Shangani Carnivore Project 2021 team.
Kelvin
Mapisa
Attachment Student 2021
Kelvin who has rural background was saddened by the indiscriminate killing of wildlife by poachers in his rural home, viewing this as a threat to wildlife populations from a young age. He has always been drawn to conservation, joined several such clubs as a result, and ultimately enrolled with the Chinhoyi University of Technology to study for a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Wildlife, Ecology, and Conservation. He was part of our Shangani Carnivore Project 2021 team.
Nick
Ncube
Attachment Student 2021
Nick is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Wildlife Resources Management at Lupane State University. He is passionate about large-carnivore conservation, promoting human-wildlife coexistence and improving local community livelihoods. He was part of our Nyaminyami Coexistence Project 2021 team.
Our Partners
