Africa's wildlife laws follow a colonial model which separates people and animals: why it's not working

Wild Asiatic buffalo (Bubalus arnee), also known as water buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, in the vegetation, Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India, Asia (Photo by Sylvain Cordier / Biosphoto / Biosphoto via AFP)

Africa is home to many iconic national parks and marine reserves, such as Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niokolo-Koba in Senegal, Kruger National Park in South Africa and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Many of them were established during the colonial era, and nearly half are still managed by government agencies.

 In total, the continent houses 8,924 protected areas, which make up 14.51% of Africa’s total land area. I am a scholar-practitioner with more than ten years’ expertise in environmental governance. I have researched what happens when communities are pushed out of protected areas and why these areas fail both people and wildlife. In my latest study, I analysed wildlife laws in all 54 African countries and found they were similar.