This a a National Geographic funded project to advance conservation research in Tanzania by enlisting diverse stakeholders, including youth, villagers, park rangers, and conservation experts in a co-investigation of the drivers and solutions to human-lion conflict near the Mikumi National Park. Our strategy for success is to build diverse ‘communities of conservation’ brought together through the shared use of a creative, adaptable and effective strategy for community engaged research, photovoice. Larger than Lions brings together five Nat Geo Explorers (inlcluding myself) with expertise in conservation research, human-wildlife conflict (HWC), citizen science, photography, and visual storytelling. Along with community partners, we will conduct an exemplar photovoice project to address human-lion conflict. We have two goals: 1) Address the critical and unmet need for conservation efforts in the Mikumi–Selous Ecosystem by conducting an exemplar photovoice project on solutions to human-lion conflict. 2) Cultivate collaborative, conservation research among NatGeo Explorers working in Tanzania via the shared use of photovoice strategies. Our project will provide critical data on solutions to HWC in the Mikumi-Wami Mbiki Wildlife corridor, create new media tools for education; showcase the photovoice method, and stimulate collaborative Explorer-community research to support the long term viability of ecosystems in the sub-Saharan region.
Larger than Lions: A Collaborative Community-to-Community Photovoice Project to Protect People and Predators near Mikumi National Park in Tanzania
Dr. Laura R Johnson, PhD
ACTIVELOCATION
- Tanzania
