Article: Conservation Across Generations
This article is one of a four-part collection I created for the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and Half-Earth Project. Alongside messages about the importance of biodiversity to human health, I wove the stories of two conservation advocates working toward similar goals in very different corners of the planet. The excerpt below features one of these subjects: Norina Vicente, a young scientist from Mozambique.
In Gorongosa, Vicente recognizes how integrating cultural and biological information can engage rural communities who live among and alongside vulnerable species. “We may talk about why the lion is important to the ecosystem,” she said, “and give them a chance to tell us why it is important to their culture.” Their sources of inspiration may differ, but among scientists and residents of Gorongosa’s buffer zone, the goal is the same: protection of our environment and the species that share it.
Cultural connections are built across generations, too. In their practical efforts to understand and solve the planet’s biodiversity challenges, Vicente and St. Clair recognize they carry a vision that has lasted longer than lifetimes, and one that will outlive them, too. “I like to think what I’m doing is not just something that will stay with me,” Vicente said. “As an African woman, I want to inspire other people, especially young girls.”
