Episode 68: Protecting Africa’s Biodiversity with Kaddu Sebuyna, CEO of the African Wildlife Foundation

Africa’s wilderness has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world. Despite its exploding population and rapidly growing economies, the continent has often been the flagbearer of conservation globally. This ranges from the conservation of elephants and rhinos in southern Africa to the creation of Kavango Zambezi, the second-largest nature conservation landscape globally. However, Africa’s wildlife is far from secure. The illegal wildlife trade still looms large with threatening lions, rhinos, and pangolins across the continent. Meanwhile, livestock overgrazing and the demand for charcoal and firewood are fostering the degradation of the habitats of giraffes, zebra, and other ungulates. Deadly diseases threaten the survival of gorillas and chimpanzees.  

In this episode of The Think Wildlife Podcast, I interview Kaddu Sebunya, the CEO of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). We discuss extensively about the impact of the illegal wildlife trade on Africa’s biodiversity, tackling habitat loss through alternative livelihoods and sustainable agriculture and the potential and issues of utilizing  trophy hunting in African conservation. Kaddu also extensively elaborates upon some of the projects AWF is involved in to tackle the climate crisis, counter the illegal wildlife trade, and prevent habitat loss.