Khetha 2024 Story Project Webinar – Chapter 03: Social Impact of Wildlife Crime – People are also victims.

The next webinar in the Khetha series takes place on Tuesday, 23rd April 2024, from 1pm to 2pm, South Africa time. Organised by Jive Media Africa and Roving Reporters, the Khetha webinar series features lively panel discussions that invite the media to take a deeper look at wildlife crime and the realities around it. The webinars are packed with fresh insights and frank talk, with the hope that it will aid and inspire story-writing on this important topic.

Wildlife crime is as much about people and how they live as it is about animals and plants, says Dr Annette Hübschle, an expert in risk governance and criminology. Annette will be joined on Tuesday by Sboniso Phakati, a conservationist with the SA Wildlife College, talking about the social impacts of wildlife crime. They will be in conversation with journalist Yves Vanderhaeghen, who will be facilitating the discussions with conservationist Vusi Thabalala serving as host.

Panellist Dr Annette Hübschle is a senior research fellow in the Global Risk Governance programme in the Public Law Department at the University of Cape Town. A social scientist and economist, Hübschle’s work looks at wildlife trafficking, illegal markets, criminal networks and pragmatic approaches to conservation. She sits on a number of national and international bodies and is widely published.

Panellist Sboniso Phakati, is a project leader of the Southern African Wildlife College’s Community Department’s Rural Initiatives for a Sustainable Environment Unit. The unit is involved in rural community-conservation initiatives, with project sites in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mozambique. He is interested in finding novel and creative ways to help communities living near parks to deepen their interest in conservation while benefiting from the protection of these places.

Facilitator Yves Vanderhaeghen is a former editor of The Witness newspaper and seasoned journalist who has written extensively on conservation. He holds a doctorate in media and communication.

Host Vusi Thabalala, of the Kruger 2 Canyons Biosphere Region, is a community conservation and education specialist.

• The Khetha 2024 Story Project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).