People and Places

that we have been growing in. This has come about from people wanting to include it as an add-on to a Zambia or Zimbabwe trip, combining it with Chobe or Okavango. We are slowly working to make Botswana a stand-alone destination and not just an add-on.’

As to what season or the best times to visit, Emma advises, ‘Traditionally, the busiest time of the year for safari is June through to November. The dry winter months of July, August and September tend to be more popular because of the UK and American school holidays. As the bush gets drier and thins out it is easier to see the animals. October is phenomenal game viewing, but it does get very hot, so we have to warn our clients. As we go into November and it starts raining it is a beautiful time of the year because the bush starts to turn green and lush and the animals start to drop their youngoncetherainsstart.Wefindalotofrepeatclientswanting to sample different times of the year for different experiences. The Emerald Seasonwhich is through to March/April is a beautiful green and lush season— you have lots of birdlife and new-born animals.’

She adds, ‘The Kasanka annual fruit bat migration is an amazing experience towards the end of the safari season, from October to mid-December. There is the wildebeest migration through the Liuwa Plain National Park which happens just as the rains are breaking in November and December. The wildebeest and other plains game at that time are moving back into the area from the Angolan border and they are followed by the predators. There are also huge bird migrations moving into the area as well as everythingstartstobudandflourishallthewaythroughtoApril/ May.’

Emma’s love of travel and safari is evident in the way she passionately describes her work with People and Places. She is definitelylivingthedream,doingwhatshelovesandsharingit with others.

In early 2017 four women sat around a table in Lusaka to discuss somethingtheywerefrustratedabout.Thiswasn’tthefirsttimethey hadhadsuchaconversation,butthiswasthefirsttimetheysatdown to do something about it. These women had something in common— they were all working in wildlife conservation, an historically male dominated sector, and were often the only women in the room.

And thus they came up with a plan—they would create a network that would bring women like them together. It would be called ‘Women for Conservation’, an inclusive network for all women and allies who work in, or are interested in, conservation in Zambia; to meet, share ideas and opportunities...and to support each other. Since then a lot has changed; Women for Conservationis no longer just an idea in the minds of four Zambian conservationists but a functional entity that meets quarterly to connect women across Zambia, giving them access to conservation stories many do not even know exist.

The idea of an informal network is not a new one—networks have been built between conservationists in Zambia many times over. However, partly due to the high number of expatriates and specificallymenworkinginconservation,thesenetworkshavenot always been accessible to Zambians, especially women. It is not necessarily that women were deliberately excluded from these spaces, but rather that access to these spaces is limited by many things including how well one’s ability is to integrate. Furthermore, conservationworkisadifficultchoiceforwomen,especiallyifworkis in remote locations for long periods of time and if there are cultural expectations of marriage, children or high-paying salaries. The workplace gender gap is still very evident in Zambia and seldom is this as glaringly obvious as in the conservation sector. This and many other factors have led to the belief that conservation isn’t for Zambian women and that is what Women for Conservation seeks to address.

Fromtheirveryfirstmeeting,thewomenbehindthisinitiativehave sought to dispel all the myths behind what ‘real’ conservationists look like. One way of doing this is by inviting a wide array of prominent women such as Chilufya Kapwepwe of Imiti Ikula Empanga and Thandiwe Phiri of the Zambian Carnivore Programme to speak to rapt audiences about their work and challenges, inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders. Women forConservationalso goes beyond inspiring talks and takes women out into nature to interact with the very resources they seek to protect. Since mid-2017 the ladies of Women forConservation have held over eight events, covering everything from networking drinks, to 4x4 vehicle maintenance coursesandmostrecentlyawildlifefilmscreening,andforthese ladies this is just the beginning.

It ought to go without saying that conservation needs a feminine perspective to be able to solve some of the related complex social issues.Womenrepresenthalfthepopulation,andthisshouldbereflected in all sectors. Time and time again it has been proven that cultural and gender-sensitive perspectives are most effective in reaching across barriers. Conservation in Zambia still has many barriers but because of Women for Conservationthings are a little better. Our goal is simple—an inclusive Zambia that serves and protects all equally—and with your help, it can be achieved.

‘There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.’

Bosa Sebele

To be added to the Women for Conservation database and be notified of our next event, email:

info@wildlifecrimeprevention.org