Human-Wildlife Coexistence

August 20 2026

… And Conservation for All with Rtn Sanjay Krishna

Wildlife conservation can sound like the work of scientists, governments and specialists. Sanjay Krishna offers a more accessible idea: millions of ordinary people can protect nature through simple choices, shared learning and restraint.

Sanjay Krishna does not introduce himself as a scientist, field biologist or professional wildlife photographer. He describes himself simply as a wildlife enthusiast—someone who loves observing wild creatures living according to the laws of nature.

That perspective is central to his message. Conservation, he argues, does not require a degree, a forest posting or a large organization. It can begin with something as ordinary as leaving a tree standing, keeping waste out of a lake or allowing a patch of land to recover naturally.

That philosophy helped Krishna turn a personal passion for wildlife into the Rotary Fellowship of Wildlifers for Conservation (RFWC), a global community now numbering more than 1,000 members. Its growth offers a practical lesson: conservation becomes more powerful when people see themselves as participants rather than spectators.

A Personal Interest Finds a Wider Community

Krishna’s conservation journey within Rotary began during his 2019–20 year as a club president. He organized a family visit to a wildlife sanctuary and later arranged a screening of a documentary about the wildlife of Karnataka, his home state in southern India. More than 500 Rotarians attended the screening.

Those experiences revealed something important. Interest in wildlife was already present. People simply needed opportunities to experience it together.

Key Takeaways

Conservation is something anyone can practice, regardless of professional training or field experience.
Preventing damage can be as valuable as launching a new environmental project.
Healthy restoration works with natural processes instead of simply beautifying landscapes.
Shared wildlife experiences can build friendships, awareness, and momentum for community service.
Millions of imperfect conservation choices can create meaningful collective change.

That enthusiasm soon expanded into service. Krishna’s club worked with residents of a rural village near Bangalore to rejuvenate a local lake. Rather than treating the project primarily as beautification, the effort focused on helping the lake function again as a natural water system.

Farmers and community members played the central role, while Rotary acted as a catalyst. Years later, Krishna said, the lake still holds water and attracts abundant birdlife, with more than 100 species observed there.

The experience connected fellowship, community participation and environmental restoration—and helped lay the foundation for something much larger.

Conservation Does Not Belong Only to Experts

When Krishna began exploring the idea of an international Rotary fellowship for wildlife enthusiasts, the word conservation initially gave him pause. He associated conservationists with experts doing intensive work in forests and field settings.

But a simpler definition changed his thinking: conservation is fundamentally about protecting the natural world from damage, waste, and destruction.

That opened the door to a more inclusive understanding. “To be a conservationist is not complicated. It is profoundly simple.”

In this view, conservation is not a professional identity reserved for a small group. Someone who avoids polluting water, protects habitat, reduces waste, or gives nature space to recover is already participating.

This idea eventually became central to the fellowship, which Rotary International recognized in January 2021. Its purpose was not only to bring wildlife enthusiasts together, but also to help ordinary people recognize that their interests, knowledge, and everyday choices could contribute to conservation.

“To be a conservationist is not complicated. It is profoundly simple.” Rtn Sanjay Krishna

The fellowship began organizing monthly talks featuring experts on subjects ranging from elephants, tigers, and African wildlife to birds, butterflies, ants, and marine life. The model placed experts and amateurs in the same community, connected by curiosity and a shared desire to protect wildlife.

Sometimes the Best Conservation Action Is Restraint

Much environmental messaging focuses on what people should do: plant, restore, build, clean, organize or campaign. Krishna adds another dimension—what we choose not to do.

A tree that is not cut continues providing habitat. Plastic that is not discarded into water causes no pollution there. Soil that is not unnecessarily disturbed can continue supporting the living systems within it. “Sometimes the biggest contribution any of us can make is restraint.”

Krishna applies the same principle to restoration. In discussing the lake project, he cautioned against confusing rejuvenation with cosmetic improvement. A functioning lake needs appropriate depth, clear feeder channels for incoming rainwater, and room for natural ecological processes.

Nature does not always need people to redesign it. Sometimes it needs people to remove an obstacle and let natural processes resume.

“Sometimes the biggest contribution any of us can make is restraint.” Rtn Sanjay Krishna

That principle can apply at smaller scales, too. Let grass grow in appropriate places. Let soil breathe. Allow leaves and organic matter to perform their ecological roles. Make space for birds, insects, and other wildlife.

Conservation, then, can be as much about subtraction as addition.

From a Rotary District to a Global Fellowship

Online connections during the COVID-19 pandemic helped Krishna meet Rotarians beyond his district and country. What began as local wildlife activities evolved into an international network.

RFWC was formally launched in December 2020 and approved as an official Rotary fellowship in January 2021. Six years into the journey, Krishna reported that it had grown to more than 1,000 members across more than 20 countries.

Members are encouraged to create regional chapters, visit one another’s countries, experience local wildlife and support Rotary projects. The fellowship is designed to make conservation social as well as practical—building friendships while expanding awareness.

That scale matters because Krishna does not believe environmental progress depends on a small number of flawless conservationists. “We don’t need 10 people doing conservation perfectly. We need 10 million people doing it imperfectly.”

The message lowers a barrier that can prevent people from acting: the fear that individual efforts are too small or imperfect to matter.

“We don’t need 10 people doing conservation perfectly. We need 10 million people doing it imperfectly.” Rtn Sanjay Krishna

A person can conserve water. Reduce waste. Protect a tree. Avoid a damaging purchase. Learn about local birds. Support habitat restoration. Share knowledge with young people. None of these actions requires professional credentials.

Collectively, however, they create a culture in which protecting nature becomes normal.

Practical Takeaways & Implications

Krishna’s approach offers a useful starting point for Rotary clubs, schools, community organizations and individuals: begin with what is close enough to understand and practical enough to change.

Look first for unnecessary harm that can be avoided. Reducing single-use materials, keeping waste out of waterways, saving water and protecting existing vegetation may accomplish more than launching complicated projects without understanding the local ecosystem.

When restoration is needed, work with local communities and people who understand the landscape. The lake project near Bangalore succeeded, Krishna emphasized, because local farmers participated and Rotary served as a catalyst rather than trying to control the entire process.

Education matters, too. Wildlife trips, birdwatching, documentary screenings and talks with knowledgeable speakers can turn curiosity into connection. People are more likely to protect species and places they have learned to notice and value.

Most importantly, conservation does not have to begin with perfection. It begins with participation.

Protecting the natural world is not simply an act of generosity toward wildlife. Healthy soil, pollinators, clean water, trees and functioning ecosystems support human communities as well. Conservation is therefore both responsibility and shared self-interest—and everyone can contribute.

About This Earth Talk

Speaker: Sanjay Krishna, Founder and Chairman of the Rotary Fellowship of Wildlifers for Conservation (RFWC). Krishna founded the fellowship to connect Rotarians, Rotaractors, and other wildlife enthusiasts around conservation, friendship, and service. In six years, the network has grown to more than 1,000 members internationally.

Date presented: 20 August 2026

🎥 Watch on YouTube: Link
🎧 Listen as a Podcast: Link
📖 Read the Blog: …and Conservation for All with Rtn Sanjay Krishna

🌱 Learn more / Project links: Rotary Fellowship of Wildlifers for Conservation

August 13 2026

Speak Peace, Save Nature: the Power of Conflict Sensitive Communication with Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa

Protecting biodiversity is not only about ecosystems. It is also about relationships. Peacebuilder Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa explains why listening, trust, and conflict-sensitive communication can make conservation more effective and more just.

Conservation is often described in terms of species, habitats, parks, and protected areas. But for communities living alongside wildlife and depending directly on land and natural resources, conservation is also about livelihoods, culture, power, and belonging.

That is why Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa asks a deceptively simple question: What happens when conservation meets conflict?

Drawing on more than eight years of conservation and peacebuilding experience across West and Southern Africa, Chimbadzwa argues that environmental work cannot succeed for long if it ignores the relationships surrounding it. The words conservationists use, the people they listen to, and the way decisions are made can either build trust or deepen divisions.

His central message is practical: protecting nature and building peace are not separate tasks. Done well, they reinforce each other.

Conservation is also about people

Many biodiversity-rich landscapes are also places where communities face political instability, inequality, livelihood pressures, or disputes over land and natural resources. In those circumstances, conservation cannot be treated simply as the protection of plants and animals.

Protected areas may carry deep cultural and spiritual meaning. They may also provide food, income, water, grazing, medicine, or other necessities. When conservation decisions restrict access without meaningful community participation, even well-intentioned projects can create resentment.

Key Takeaways

Conservation succeeds more readily when communities are treated as partners rather than obstacles.
Conflict-sensitive communication emphasizes listening, respect, inclusion, local context, and doing no harm.
Visible disagreements often reflect deeper issues involving trust, power, livelihoods, identity, and exclusion.
Local knowledge and lived experience can strengthen conservation decisions and create more durable solutions.

This is especially important where conservation has historically relied on a “fortress” approach: drawing hard boundaries between people and nature and assuming ecosystems will be safer when local communities are kept out.

Chimbadzwa encourages conservationists to look beneath the visible disagreement. Conflict, he explains, often has deeper layers involving exclusion, inequality, identity, emotion, and damaged relationships.

Communication can build trust—or undermine it

Early in his presentation, Chimbadzwa offered a straightforward definition of conflict-sensitive communication: communication that is respectful, inclusive, aware of local context, and guided by the principle of doing no harm. “Conflict-sensitive communication is not just about information sharing, but meaningful, intentional, respectful and inclusive communication.”

That distinction matters. Communication is not successful merely because information was delivered. People also need to feel heard, respected, and able to influence decisions that affect their lives.

Conflict can intensify when conservation organizations arrive with predetermined messages, dismiss local experience, or communicate in ways that sound accusatory. By contrast, listening first can reveal concerns that would otherwise remain hidden.

“Communication is not just about information sharing, but meaningful, intentional, respectful and inclusive communication.” Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa

For conservation practitioners, this means paying attention not only to what is said but to how it is received. Tone, language, timing, history, and relationships all shape whether a conversation creates cooperation or defensiveness.

Look beneath the visible conflict

Chimbadzwa uses an iceberg as a way of thinking about conflict. What people see at the surface—a protest, argument, disagreement, or confrontation—may be only a small part of what is happening. “There are so many layers to conflict. There are so many dynamics to conflict and there are so many types of conflict.”

Underneath may be fear, loss, mistrust, unequal decision-making, cultural exclusion, or years of feeling ignored. Communities living alongside wildlife, for example, may experience the costs of conservation very differently from people designing conservation policy from farther away.

This is why emotions and relationships matter. A dispute may appear to be about a single decision, while the real source of tension is how people were treated during the process.

“There are so many layers to conflict.” Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa

Recognizing those layers does not mean abandoning conservation goals. It means understanding the social conditions needed to achieve them. When people believe their knowledge and concerns matter, collaboration becomes more possible.

Start by listening to local realities

Chimbadzwa proposes three questions conservationists can use before advocating, planning, or communicating. “Are we listening to communities that we are dealing with? Or are we just thinking of relaying the messages that we want to relay?”

The second question asks whether local knowledge and practices are genuinely valued. The third asks whether conservation messages reflect local cultures, values, and lived realities.

These questions are especially relevant to large environmental transitions. Global calls for cleaner energy, new technologies, or increased mineral extraction may sound positive at an international level but create very different experiences for communities living where resources are extracted.

“Are we listening to communities, or are we just thinking of relaying the messages that we want to relay?” Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa

The lesson extends far beyond conservation. Solutions are more durable when communities participate in shaping them instead of simply receiving instructions after decisions have already been made.

From “us versus them” to shared stewardship

Conflict-sensitive conservation does not mean everyone will agree. Disagreement is normal wherever people have different needs, histories, responsibilities, and interests.

The goal is to prevent those differences from hardening into an “us versus them” relationship.

That requires seeing communities not as obstacles to conservation but as partners with knowledge, experience, and a direct stake in the future of the landscape. It also means creating space for people who are often underrepresented in decision-making, including women and young people.

The result is a broader understanding of conservation: one that protects ecological systems while strengthening the relationships that make long-term stewardship possible.

Practical Takeaways & Implications

Chimbadzwa’s approach offers a useful checklist for anyone working with communities on conservation, climate, or sustainability.

Begin by listening before explaining. Ask people what they are experiencing, what they value, and what risks they see. Community engagement should uncover information, not merely transmit it.

Next, pay attention to who participates. Decisions are less likely to endure when affected groups are excluded. Women, young people, Indigenous peoples, land-connected communities, local leaders, and other stakeholders may bring different knowledge and priorities.

Use language that reduces defensiveness rather than assigning blame. Avoid framing environmental challenges as a contest between enlightened conservationists and resistant communities. Shared problems are more likely to produce shared solutions when people are treated with dignity.

Finally, examine what lies beneath disagreement. Conflict may signal unmet needs, unequal power, historical grievances, or fear about livelihoods. Addressing those concerns can strengthen conservation rather than distract from it.

For Chimbadzwa, the message is ultimately hopeful: conservation becomes more resilient when peacebuilding is woven into the work. Saving nature is not only about protecting places. It is also about protecting the relationships that allow people and nature to thrive together.

About This Earth Talk

Speaker: Tapiwa Prosper Chimbadzwa is a peacebuilding professional with more than eight years of experience in conservation across West and Southern Africa. He works with communities and conservation groups to transform conflict, promote grassroots participation, and foster peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife.

Date presented: 13 August 2026

🎥 Watch on YouTube:

🎧 Listen as a Podcast:

📖 Read the Blog:

🌱 Learn more / Project links: