The fight for Africa's wildlife is taken to Tufts

Dr. Richard Leakey, famed Kenyan anthropologist, visited Tufts' Medford campus last Friday to deliver a lecture related to his latest book, Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures.

The discussion, entitled "New Strategies for Conserving African Wildlife and Ecosystems," attracted a large number of students to Barnum auditorium, the number made more impressive by the Friday afternoon time slot.

Leakey, the son of anthropologists Mary and Louis Leakey, made his first significant find at the age of six when he unearthed a hominid fossil under the direction of his parents. It was clear from this point on that Leakey would go on to do great things.

Appointed the Director of the National Museum of Kenya at the age 23, he went on to fight for a ban on ivory poaching. Leaky has remained an active member of the Kenyan government, serving as the director of the Kenyan Wildlife Service up until his recent retirement.

With a crisp but soft British accent, Leakey immediately captivated his audience as he began to describe the problems facing conservation in Africa today. Leakey began his talk after a brief introduction when he explained that he would be giving an off-the-cuff speech on the problems facing conservation strategies in Africa, echoing themes from his latest book.

In order to convey the complexity of African wildlife conservation, Leakey made it clear to his listeners the importance of understanding the severity of the level of human poverty plaguing Africa in addition to the issues of wildlife conservation.

He said it is difficult for those who have never seen the degree of extreme poverty first-hand to understand how difficult and all-encompassing it is. In Kenya and other African nations, he reminded us, "there is no social security, no assistance other than what you can make for yourself."

Leaky clearly laid out the problems facing conservationists. Western aid is not enough to make a serious dent in the poverty levels, and the food distribution centers across the nation concentrate large numbers of people in very small areas, having an enormous environmental impact. A massive HIV/AIDS problem also poses a serious threat to economic activity. He estimated that nearly a full quarter of the population was afflicted with the disease, leaving the government unable to hire teachers or other vital workers.

In addition, global change and global warming has been making the region's climate less stable and predictable, making it more difficult for conservationists to go about their work.

"I see the protected areas as islands," Dr. Leakey explained, "and it is no longer a possibility for them to switch locations once we need more land to develop."

He said that the only alternative to just giving up was to rely on money generated by tourism to support the conservation community. After the war in Iraq and the crisis in the Middle East, tourism to Kenya dropped 85 percent, but Leakey still has faith that tourists will return in time.

He emphasized that while some of the wildlife parks may close with time as funding and the ability to support the animals decrease, tourism will eventually return to support them.

Leakey's visit to campus was sponsored by several groups from across the Tufts spectrum, including the Tufts Institute for the Environment, the Biology Department, the Research Policy Program at the Fletcher School, the School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The wide range of interest across the university indicated just how universal Leakey's work has become, significantly impacting several fields and disciplines.

Leakey concluded by answering a few questions from the audience, addressing various issues in regards to the involvement of local communities in wildlife conservation and inherent problems concerning fundraising to support wildlife parks.

"It's wrong to act like the wildlife sector created some horrible crime," he said. "We talk about the importance of health and education and human rights, but should the environment not be a human right?"