TUSK AWARD FOR CONSERVATION IN AFRICA WINNER 2020
John Kamanga
Kenya
Communities have been, and will continue to be, the custodians of wildlife. However, we have to give them the tools for today. We’re living in the 21st century, where things have changed, where there are different economic pressures.
John Kamanga is a grassroots conservation leader who has dedicated his career to developing a vision for the co-existence of pastoralists and wildlife. His conservation philosophy draws on indigenous traditions, while incorporating modern realities and conservation opportunities.
As a founder and director of SORALO, a unique organisation representing 16 Maasai communities living across several million hectares in Kenya, his vision is helping protecting one of Kenya’s most critical conservation areas. In a country where a significant amount of wildlife lives outside protected areas, John’s work at SORALO has been a blueprint in empowering communities and equipping them with the modern tools to conserve wildlife.
John’s ability to promote and articulate the role of communities in conservation has been second to none. His vision of conservation in Kenya is truly collaborative and driven by local communities safeguarding some of Kenya’s most important conservation areas.
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