Episode 66: Fostering Effective Conservation Partnerships for Africa’s Biodiversity with Fred Nelson, CEO at Maliasili

The Think Wildlife Podcast

Collaboration is essential for conservation. The complexity of conservation challenges is often multifold and requires the involvement and cooperation of multiple stakeholders. Additionally, the sharing of resources, particularly funding, and technical expertise from a variety of sectors, immensely contribute to the success of conservation initiatives. It is for this reason that forming strategic alliances between NGOs, government agencies, local communities, and private landowners, is critical for conservation.

However, conservation partnerships also produce unique challenges, particularly in terms of integrating the partners into a cohesive and effective entity. Conservation projects are often ineffective due to the contradictory visions between grassroots organizations and their international partners. It is therefore critical to incorporate the seven core principles for effective conservation partnerships.

In this episode, I interview Fred Nelson, who is the CEO of Maliasili. This organization aims to support high-potential local African organizations to accelerate the benefits they bring to people, ecosystems, and climate change. Maliasili has increased the impact of these projects across their landscapes by enhancing leadership capacity and supporting fundraising efforts. Specifically, Maliasili has trained 115 African conservation leaders and raised and leveraged $15 million for partners since 2018 across Africa.

Tune in to learn more about effective conservation partnerships as Fred also elaborates upon the work supported by Maliasili.

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