African women still have a long way to go to break through the glass ceiling in the largely male-dominated worlds of business and politics, but in the field of conservation in Africa, women are making important breakthroughs.
On September 8-17, 2003, conservationists, business leaders and government officials gathered in Durban, South Africa for the once-per-decade World Parks Congress to debate the future of the world's national parks and protected areas. The 2003 Congress took place, for the first time in history, in Africa, placing a special focus on Africa's parks and protected areas.
The goal of the Grevy Zebra Project, in AWF-designated Samburu Heartland, over the past year has been to better understand the population and distribution of these magnificent animals. Found only in Africa north of the equator, Grevy's zebras are highly endangered.
A total of 450 Grevy's zebras have been documented in the communal lands around the Samburu National Reserve. They are on a relatively small part of their traditional range.
Just about two weeks ago, John Reed of the Financial Times authored an article ("We can't put a policeman behind every animal", July 31) about the current situation in Zimbabwe. As Mr. Reed articulated, it wasn't long ago that Zimbabwe was regarded as one of Africa's model countries at least in terms of wildlife and environment policies and management. Now, both the people and the wildlife are suffering.
Sadly, we are hearing more and more about human and wildlife conflict. To eat, drink, and survive, animals are wandering and migrating beyond park boundaries, often straight into disaster. They trample crops of bordering landowners or disrupt the lives of local communities, sometimes paying the price of their life in return. And, as wild species begin to disappear, the country becomes poorer both biologically and economically. But, what can we do?