By Prof Brian Child There is no doubt that intact natural systems and wildlife are in serious trouble. Man’s impact on the planet is summarized by an article in Science in 2011 entitled ‘A Global Perspective on the Anthropocene’. People and farming have expanded into most corners of the

By Prof Brian Child There is no doubt that intact natural systems and wildlife are in serious trouble. Man’s impact on the planet is summarized by an article in Science in 2011 entitled ‘A Global Perspective on the Anthropocene’. People and farming have expanded into most corners of the

By Prof. Brian Child As conservationists, we rush with great passion in new crusades to ‘save’ the next in a long line of threatened species or ecosystems. We lay the blame for environmental destruction at the foot of human greed, population growth, trade, or poaching and see its salvation in

The poaching of iconic wildlife species gets most of the mainstream media’s attention. Titillating stories of rangers, armed to the teeth, chasing after poachers through the bush with their dogs, and aerial backup corroborates the Western worldview. And this is where most of the taxpayer and donor money goes