Interviews
Names: Dr Anna Songhurst and Dr Graham McCulloch
Trinity Qualifications: Anna: B.A., M.A. (2002) Graham: Ph.D. (2003)
Titles: Co-Founders and Directors of the Ecoexist Project
About: The Ecoexist Project focuses on finding solutions to reduce human-elephant conflict and foster human-elephant coexistence - our work involves elephant research, community development, conservation agriculture, land use planning, tourism diversification and we work at the community and policy level.
What inspired you to start up Ecoexist Project?
Graham: For years, I conducted research, contributing to science and the understanding of our natural environment in Botswana. Then I spent a decade using my knowledge and skills to write environmental assessments and management plans for wildlife areas, while in a career as a consultant. What was the impact of all this on the ground?, I asked myself. Was any of it being used to make a difference? When Anna finished her Ph.D., we both talked about what it would be like to really make a difference on the ground, what it takes to do that and whether we should try. Anna’s Ph.D. research was one of the only truly integrative socio-ecological projects in the country’s wildlife conservation arena at the time and the recommendations she made from her findings were begging to be implemented to see if they could address human elephant conflict. We both knew they wouldn’t make any difference unless we tried to implement them and hungry to create some sustainable conservation impact, we decided to give it a shot. A year in and we met and collaborated with our co-director, Dr Amanda Stronza, a Professor from Texas A&M University. As an anthropologist, with decades of experience in conservation work, community based natural resource management, and community based tourism in the amazon, Amanda came with a wealth of experience and knowledge and provided another, different perspective. We all shared a common vision and the discussions and ideas coming from them were inspiring, went on for days and, eventually, led to Ecoexist being born.
How did you and Graham meet?
Anna: Graham and I met in 2001 at a Trinity Zoology Department cheese & wine evening! We were introduced because Graham had just returned to Trinity to write up his Ph.D. on the Ecology of Sua Pan in Botswana and its flamingo population and I had a lifelong dream (since I was 4) to go to Africa and study elephants. After finishing my zoology degree in 2002, I worked in Dublin for a year until Graham had finished his Ph.D. and then Graham convinced me that Botswana was the place to go (with him) to study elephants!
How did your Trinity education pave the way for your career?
Graham: Through Trinity, I successfully completed my Ph.D. on the ecology of the seasonal lake: Sua Pan, part of the great Makgadikgadi salt pans, in central Botswana. My supervisor, Dr Kenneth Irvine said to me when I first approached him: “if you believe this is something you really want to do, accept that it will heavily influence where you go with your career, and find ways to fund your field research, I’ll supervise you”. I thought about and related very much to the honesty and wisdom in these words. Ken was a great mentor and I found great inspiration and support from him and the other lecturers and graduates in the, then, Zoology Department. This helped shape my dedication and commitment - both really necessary when completing a Ph.D. thesis, especially through a cold winter when the warmth of the Botswana sun beckoned. I was very proud to have completed my Ph.D., but was really surprised by how it impacted my career on my return to Botswana. As an expert in my subject and armed with a doctorate, I quickly got involved in consulting for environmental impact assessments and wildlife management area management plans in and around the Makgadikgadi. The focus of this work shifted and the work became progressively broader, both in discipline and geographically. A decade on and I had built a considerable amount of experience in environmental consulting and conservation planning, as well as a large professional network, both of which I took with with me to the Ecoexist Project, and all of which is proving extremely useful!
Since its launch, how has the Ecoexist Project evolved?
Anna: Since 2013, the Ecoexist Project has been going from strength to strength! We have a great team of people comprising ourselves and co-director Dr Amanda Stronza, field coordinators Mr Ohitiseng Mosupi and Mr Mathata Kashongo, an Operations Manager, Ecoexist Community Officers, Base (Gusu) Camp and Research Camp support staff, and 9 post graduate researchers and their advising committees. We are making great progress, both with demonstrating practical interventions to human elephant conflict on the ground and helping to influence changes and decisions at a policy level, all of which help to create an enabling environment for support and incentives to reduce human-elephant conflict and promote coexistence.
What has been your proudest achievement so far with this project?
Graham: We’ve achieved some great and very fulfilling milestones: we deployed GPS tracking collars on 40 elephants, some of whom have roamed across three countries; we partnered with the land authority to establish 13 formal elephant corridors, now protected from further land allocation and conversion to agriculture, and; we have contributed to tourism and agriculture policy change and diversification. One of the proudest moments, however, happened just recently, when a farmer, who we work closely with to demonstrate ‘elephant aware farming’, summed up our presence in the Okavango, what we have achieved and how he appreciated it: “At first, we (the community) saw you as people who just came here to protect elephants. Then, you started teaching us how to protect our fields using differed elephant deterrent techniques. Now, we see you as members of the community who supporting us, the farmers, and through helping us understand and live with elephants, you are really improving our lives.” John Mbango, Farmer, Gunotsoga village.
What is the greatest lesson you have learnt from your involvement with the Ecoexist Project?
Anna: The greatest lesson I’ve learnt from being involved in the Ecoexist Project is that if we are going to conserve free ranging populations of wildlife, like elephants, it’s imperative that people who live with these wildlife populations and who are the true custodians of wildlife, need to be involved in conservation planning and decision making, and, ultimately, gain sustainable direct benefits as a result of living with wildlife.
Tell us about the positive impacts this exhibition is having on Botswana?
Graham: Ecoexist is certainly achieving sustainable impact in Botswana: we have developed a model of human wildlife coexistence and an approach, which is evidence based and truly participatory. We have also contributed to some of the countries sustainable development goals like achieving wise use of natural resources that directly benefits rural livelihoods and improving food security. Our overall goal is to create an enabling environment for strategies and incentives that support people who live with elephants. This means working with decision makers to influence policy: tourism and agricultural grants or subsidies, for example. It also means building enterprise to create sustainable, market linked incentives and attracting investment from the private sector. We have achieved a great deal of success in contributing to this enabling environment and gaining such support for some tried and tested solutions, thanks to some strong partnerships with both government and private sector stakeholders. If improved tolerance and behavioural change is the ultimate goal in achieving human wildlife coexistence, creating this enabling environment is the pathway to get there.
What are the next steps for the Ecoexist Project?
Anna: We will be focusing our efforts on implementing the various strategies to reduce conflicts arising between people and elephants – like ensuring land use plans are implemented, elephant corridors left free from future development, mitigation techniques are sustainable and can be used at a landscape level. We will also be striving to improve and diversify non-consumptive benefits coming back to people from living with elephants and finding sustainable support and incentives for farmers to practice ‘elephant aware’ farming.
What advice would you give to alumni who want to initiate or get involved in projects such as this?
Graham: Follow your passion! Find a cause that you feel passionate about and really believe that it needs to be addressed. Use your passion, education and experience, as contributions, in a collaborative approach – be open with and work with others who aim to achieve the same goal! You may find yourself in a position that allows you to play a really important lead or facilitating role. When this happens, its really important to listen to and learn from those around you, not just experts, but all who can play a role in helping achieve conservation success, no matter where they live, or work. It is especially important to listen to and partner with those who both directly impact and/or are impacted by wildlife. Also, be prepared to manage people and take on lots of admin at the same time! Finally, when you’ve achieved success, don’t forget to step back from the craziness and enjoy the experience – it’s harder than it sounds.