Thandiwe Mweetwa

Thandiwe Mweetwa is a senior ecologist and community educator with the Zambian Carnivore Programme. Her work focuses on studying population dynamics and threats to survival of lions and other carnivores in eastern Zambia in order to protect the species and their habitat. As a supporter of community-based conservation, Ms. Mweetwa is dedicated to exploring effective ways of integrating local communities in wildlife conservation through environmental awareness programs, capacity building and citizen science initiatives. She is the manager of ZCP’s conservation education program, which is designed to gain community support for wildlife conservation, and to promote interest in conservation-based careers among local youths. In 2016, she started the Women in Wildlife Conservation Training Program aimed at providing opportunities for Zambian young women wishing to pursue careers in the wildlife sector. Ms. Mweetwa’s work to protect big cats in Zambia through research, capacity building and conservation education has been featured in several BBC documentaries and National Geographic videos. Ms. Mweetwa is a National Geographic Big Cats Initiative grantee and a 2016 National Geographic Emerging Explorer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Animal Biology from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s Degree from the University of Arizona in Natural Resources Conservation.