Soraa K. Kinga

A Namibian environmental activist who pioneered community-based conservation in Southern Africa

Soraa K. Kinga emerged as a visionary leader in Namibian environmental conservation during the late 1990s, challenging traditional wildlife management practices through her grassroots approach. Born in 1968 in the remote Kunene region, Kinga witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of colonial-era conservation policies that displaced indigenous communities. She co-founded the Kunene People's Survival Project in 1998, which pioneered community-led wildlife management systems that integrated local knowledge with modern conservation science. This innovative model allowed Himba and Herero communities to regain control over their ancestral lands while creating sustainable revenue streams through eco-tourism.

Kinga's most significant achievement came in 2001 when her organization secured a landmark partnership with the Namibian government to establish the Kunene Conservancy, the first legally recognized community-managed wildlife area in Africa. This initiative increased local income from $10 per capita to over $1,000 annually through wildlife tourism and meat sales, while elephant populations in the region rebounded from 500 to over 12,000 by 2010. Her work was featured in National Geographic's 2005 documentary series "Africa's New Conservation Frontier".