Speaker: Rachel Ashegbofe
Abstract: The extinction crises require urgent interventions to avert imminent irreversible loss. Regardless of the context, prioritizing localized responses that can be implemented within specific socio-political and ecological frameworks is crucial to catalyzing conservation actions. Such conservation strategies demand flexibility, adaptability and proactive stakeholder engagement. Drawing on my experience in conserving one of the world’s most endangered primate species - the Niger Delta red colobus monkey, I will be emphasizing the role of local communities in identifying pressing conservation needs and developing solutions that may not be scientifically grounded nor systematic but are politically relevant and practical. Collaborative frameworks that empower local stakeholders to participate in decision-making processes can lead to more sustainable outcomes, as communities are more likely to commit to conservation initiatives that they have a hand in shaping. However, I also demonstrate that by integrating data from diverse sources, the robustness of the conservation outcomes can be greatly enhanced, leading to a nuanced understanding of the underlying forces at play.
Biography: Rachel Ashegbofe is a Nigerian Conservationist, Founder and Director of SW/Niger Delta Forest Project, a grassroots-focused conservation NGO founded in 2012. She has nearly 20 years of work experience in species conservation pioneering actions for threatened wildlife amid the harsh realities of rampant biodiversity loss, and insecurity, and in landscapes overlapping regions with high human population densities in Nigeria - Africa’s most populous nation. She has led the creation of two protected areas in Nigeria which were the result of two flagship conservation initiatives for critically endangered species that were on the verge of extinction. Based on new agreements reached in February of this year, by the end of 2024, she will have created five PAs.
She is the co-vice chair of the Africa Section of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, executive member of the education committee of the International Primatological Society and co-founder of the African Primatological Society. She is a recipient of the 2022 National Geographic Buffett Award for conservation leadership in Africa amongst other honours.
27 сен 2024
