News

How much do we really know about public perceptions of contentious issues in wildlife conservation?

Earlier today, Yolanda Mutinhima and Lovemore Sibanda WildCRU’s Morally Contested Conservation (MCC) research team asked this provocative question to several hundred participants at the 12th Annual Oppenheimer Research Conference in South Africa. In their talk, Yolanda (a graduate student at Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe) and Lovemore (a WildCRU postdoctoral researcher) presented initial findings of perspectives on wildlife crimes and punishments. They summarised data from more than 2,300 people living in rural Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe and more than 1,500 people living in the UK, USA, and urban areas of East and southern Africa.

Yolanda and Lovemore’s presentation was just one of several contributions the Morally Contested Conservation research team made at this high-profile international conference on African biodiversity conservation. Lovemore and Yolanda also presented research posters, as did graduate students David Kimaili (South Eastern Kenya University) and Salum Kulunge (Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania) and project director Darragh Hare.

The Morally Contested Conservation project brings together an international network of researchers, students, community members, and conservation professionals to better understand a range of controversial, emotive issues in wildlife conservation and economic development in East and southern Africa.

More information on the project’s web page and on X @mcc_project.