Reflections from Africa

Sometimes the best way to understand another culture is to experience it firsthand. This was the case for me this past summer as a participant of the Namibia I Great Cat Conservation course offered through Miami University's graduate program that I have been working on.

Our course took us to the Cheetah Conservation Fund near Otjiwarongo, Namibia. Since the first time I had heard about Miami University's graduate program, this particular course had been an interest of mine because of my passion for predator conservation. I had never been to Africa before, but was curious to learn how the conservation of predators in Namibia compared to our approach for conserving wolves in the United States.

As the airplane departed for Johannesburg, little did I understand how this experience would change my perceptions. Study abroad courses are filled with a wide range of emotions: the excitement of getting ready to experience a new place, the sudden shock of being in a very different culture, new sounds and smells, and the joys and rigors of bonding with a group of fellow students who seem to share your same perspectives, interests and passion.

Graduate courses like this are an amazing way to explore the world and study in different cultures. Our instructors - Sarah and Dan - had been to Namibia many times before and were experts in being able to present lessons using this incredible place. My favorite memories included sitting next to a giant termite mound for a field class, seeing amazing animals on the African landscape during afternoon safaris to conduct wildlife counts, being up close and feeding the cheetahs, enjoying a "sundowner party" with Dr. Laurie Marker - the world's leading expert on cheetahs and cheetah conservation, and spending an overnight at Etosha National Park observing a watering hole with all of the mighty animals that stopped by for a drink.

After a few days, I began to realize that the conservation approaches being taken by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) are on a whole different level and scope than what I was familiar with in the United States. CCF works hard on a farmer-by-farmer basis to mitigate conflicts with livestock and educate the public about how to live alongside predators.

We learned about how CCF uses trained "scat detection" dogs to comb the scene of a livestock depredation to gather scat samples that are used to understand what kinds of animals are being eaten by what types of predators. We toured CCF's genetics lab (only one of three genetics labs in the country of Namibia!) where these samples are analyzed. And we heard from Dr. Marker how CCF helps farmers to mitigate these problems. In some cases, CCF provides livestock guarding dogs to farmers to help in protecting their livestock.

I was struck by the incredible distance that Dr. Marker and the CCF team go to help farmers, and I came to realize that it was that sincere and deep level of caring for farmers that was basis of creating trusting relationships that build tolerance for cheetahs and other African predators. That one-on-one work has been effectively changing perspectives in Namibia for decades and is a true example of community-focused conservation at its finest. The success of this nonprofit organization is exemplified by the fact that the decline of the cheetah population in Namibia has stopped and appears to be stable.

Our ability to experience these lessons firsthand helped me to see the value of this approach to conservation in a profound way. Never would I have grasped these lessons by reading an article or scientific paper - firsthand experiences like this provide transformational moments like these that have inspired me to approach conservation from a global perspective.

I will forever appreciate the incredible experience I had in Namibia as it broadened my perspectives in how we must approach wildlife conservation to achieve success.

Rob Schultz is Executive Director of Audubon Minnesota and Vice President of the Upper Mississippi River for the National Audubon Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that protects birds and the places they need throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. To learn more about Audubon's work, visit www.audubon.org