Judith Kakinama

Namibian environmentalist leading community-based conservation in southern Africa

Judith Kakinama (born 1965) is a visionary environmental leader from Namibia whose work in community-based natural resource management has reshaped conservation strategies across southern Africa. As founder of the Kwandu Conservancy in 1998, she pioneered models where local communities directly benefit from wildlife conservation. Her approach combines traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation science, creating sustainable livelihoods through eco-tourism and game farming. Kakinama's advocacy led to landmark legislation allowing communal landowners to manage wildlife resources, increasing wildlife populations by 400% in participating areas. Her 2003 publication Community Conservation: A Namibian Model has become a global reference for equitable conservation practices. Kakinama currently chairs the Southern African Wildlife College, training 1,500+ conservation professionals annually. Her work has been featured in National Geographic documentaries and earned her the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2012. Recent initiatives include carbon sequestration projects linking conservation to climate action.