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Washington, DC | June 16, 2026: Kenyan conservationist, Nationwide Geographic Explorer and 2021 Rolex Nationwide Geographic Explorer of the 12 months, Dr. Paula Kahumbu, is in Washington, DC this week attending the Nationwide Geographic Explorers Competition 2026, the place her {photograph} presently seems on the doorway doorways of Nationwide Geographic headquarters because the group opens its new Museum of Exploration. The {photograph} on the doorways was taken by famend Nationwide Geographic photographer Charlie Hamilton James and is linked to Dr. Kahumbu’s function as a presenter within the acclaimed four-part Nationwide Geographic collection Secrets and techniques of the Elephants, filmed throughout Africa and Asia and premiered in 2023. For guests coming into the museum, the picture serves as a strong reminder of the significance of storytelling in connecting folks to wildlife and provoking conservation motion.
Contained in the museum, an exhibit celebrates Dr. Kahumbu’s work and profession, starting with the highly effective “Arms Off Our Elephants” marketing campaign and tracing the extraordinary impression of her conservation management over many years. For Dr. Kahumbu, this second just isn’t solely private. It’s a tribute to Kenya, to Africa, and to the rising international motion of individuals decided to guard nature within the face of unprecedented threats. “That is an amazing honour,” stated Dr. Kahumbu. “To see my {photograph} on the doorways of Nationwide Geographic in Washington, DC, and to know that contained in the museum there’s an exhibit about my life’s work, is deeply shifting. However this story just isn’t mine alone. It belongs to hundreds of thousands of Kenyans whose voices, arms, braveness and perception helped defend our elephants once they have been being slaughtered for ivory and their tusks trafficked to markets half a world away.” The exhibit displays a profession formed by curiosity, braveness and collaboration. Dr. Kahumbu’s work has confronted a number of the most troublesome conservation challenges of our time: wildlife crime, habitat destruction, local weather change, poor governance, short-sighted improvement selections, environmental injustice and the implications of public disengagement from nature.
Throughout Kenya, Africa, the International South and the world, biodiversity faces existential threats. Forests are disappearing, rivers are polluted, wetlands drained, land reworked for agriculture, wildlife habitats are fragmented and shrinking, and local weather change is accelerating the lack of species and ecosystems that maintain life. But Dr. Kahumbu believes that these challenges could be overcome by knowledgeable residents, brave management and collective motion. On the centre of this work is WildlifeDirect, the Kenyan conservation group Dr. Kahumbu leads as CEO. Along with a unprecedented group, a devoted Board of Administrators, dedicated companions and supporters world wide, WildlifeDirect continues to champion wildlife conservation, environmental schooling, justice and storytelling. “Our group at WildlifeDirect is undefeated in spirit and willpower,” stated Dr. Kahumbu. “Day-after-day we work alongside communities, educators, scientists, filmmakers, rangers, authorities companies and younger folks to guard Kenya’s unimaginable organic heritage. We’re deeply grateful to our supporters and Board members who proceed to face with us as we deal with a number of the biggest conservation challenges of our era.”
The success of “Arms Off Our Elephants” and different campaigns led by Dr. Kahumbu and WildlifeDirect was made doable by an unprecedented coming collectively of the Kenyan public, media, conservation organizations, companies, non-public firms and authorities establishments. Collectively, they helped rework nationwide consciousness, strengthen public resolve and construct strain towards elephant poaching and ivory trafficking. Right now, WildlifeDirect’s work is more and more targeted on mobilizing younger folks and guaranteeing that each little one has the chance to expertise nature firsthand. One of many group’s most vital initiatives is in conservation schooling reaching tens of hundreds of faculty kids, hundreds of whom have visited the WildlifeDirect Children Discipline Lab, a singular out of doors studying area adjoining to Nairobi Nationwide Park, the place kids can discover nature straight and freed from cost by their colleges.
On the Children Discipline Lab, kids don’t expertise nature by a glass window or a display screen. They contact, scent, observe and examine the pure world round them. They’ll gather leaves, look at fallen feathers, research useless bugs and study straight from nature by immersive, hands-on experiences that encourage curiosity, surprise and stewardship. WildlifeDirect has additionally been working to take away monetary obstacles that forestall kids from visiting protected areas. Encouragingly, current bulletins by the Kenya Wildlife Service have made it simpler for colleges to deliver kids into nationwide parks, a improvement that displays rising recognition of the significance of connecting younger folks with nature. These efforts are already producing measurable outcomes. Rising numbers of younger Kenyans are pursuing careers in conservation, environmental science, wildlife administration and associated fields. On the similar time, a brand new era of conservation leaders is rising throughout the nation. Younger persons are now not merely accepting poor selections affecting nationwide parks, forests, rivers, lakes, marine ecosystems and wildlife habitats. Throughout Kenya, residents are organizing, talking out and taking motion to guard the locations they love. New conservation champions are rising all over the place, defending forests, safeguarding rivers, defending marine ecosystems and advocating for wildlife.
“I name on the federal government to welcome this rising environmentally acutely aware public,” stated Dr. Kahumbu. “These residents care deeply about our pure heritage and our connection to wild locations. Their voices needs to be embraced as a part of the answer.” What Kenya is witnessing at the moment is the results of many years of funding in public consciousness and conservation schooling. By means of Wildlife Warriors, WildlifeDirect’s flagship tv collection, conservation tales have reached audiences throughout the nation. Within the final eleven months alone, Wildlife Warriors content material has been considered greater than 212 million instances in Kenya, serving to encourage a brand new era of environmental stewards. On the coronary heart of Dr. Kahumbu’s work is the spirit of exploration, not merely as journey or discovery, however as a means of being. To be an explorer is to stay perpetually curious, to ask troublesome questions, to comply with proof, to collaborate throughout divides and to step into unsure and harmful areas when one thing treasured is in danger.
“Exploration just isn’t solely about going to distant locations,” stated Dr. Kahumbu. “It’s about refusing to look away. It’s about asking why, asking who advantages, asking what’s being misplaced and asking what we are able to do collectively. It’s about taking up troublesome issues even once they appear hopeless, and never permitting concern to cease us from doing what must be finished.” Dr. Kahumbu is attending Explorers Competition 2026 alongside many different African and international explorers whose work is increasing the that means of exploration within the twenty first century from science, storytelling and know-how to conservation, justice, schooling and neighborhood motion. Her presence on the competition comes at a time when conservationists throughout Africa proceed to face rising strain as wildlife habitats, nationwide parks, forests and pure methods come underneath menace from improvement, crime, local weather change and weak governance. Dr. Kahumbu’s recognition at Nationwide Geographic is subsequently additionally a reminder that African conservation management issues and that Kenya’s story has helped form international understanding of what citizen-led conservation can obtain.
Wanting forward, WildlifeDirect is increasing its work by schooling, storytelling, youth engagement and partnerships that join folks to nature together with a household nature competition in Laikipia in December. Amongst its most formidable present initiatives is a serious function movie targeted on elephants and human-wildlife coexistence in Kenya.
“Elephants have at all times held a particular place in my coronary heart,” stated Dr. Kahumbu. “They’re clever, emotional and deeply linked to the landscapes they inhabit. Our new function movie will discover the realities of coexistence between folks and elephants and assist audiences perceive why defending these magnificent animals issues for all of us.” “This recognition belongs to Kenya,” stated Dr. Kahumbu. “It belongs to each little one who discovered to like elephants, each journalist who advised the reality, each ranger who stood guard, each citizen who spoke up, each firm that supported us, each company that acted and each Kenyan who believed that elephants should not simply wildlife, they’re a part of who we’re.”
Dr. Kahumbu continues to champion conservation by advocacy, schooling and storytelling. Her work has helped shift public consciousness, affect coverage, encourage younger folks and construct a stronger conservation motion in Kenya, throughout Africa and past.
The Nationwide Geographic Museum of Exploration opens with Dr. Kahumbu’s story featured among the many lives and achievements of explorers whose work has modified how the world understands nature, science, folks and the planet.
Members of the general public, educators, colleges, companions and supporters inquisitive about studying extra about WildlifeDirect’s work are inspired to contact the group at Damaris@wildlifedirect.org.
Collectively, we are able to be certain that future generations inherit thriving wildlife populations, wholesome ecosystems and a deeper connection to the pure world.
ENDS
Media Contact:
WildlifeDirect / Trish Sewe
trish@wildlifedirect.org
About Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Dr. Paula Kahumbu is a Kenyan conservationist, Nationwide Geographic Explorer, CEO of WildlifeDirect and the 2021 Rolex Nationwide Geographic Explorer of the 12 months. She is internationally acknowledged for her management in elephant conservation, wildlife justice, public schooling and conservation storytelling. She served as a presenter on Nationwide Geographic’s Secrets and techniques of the Elephants and has led a few of Kenya’s most influential conservation campaigns. By means of initiatives resembling “Arms Off Our Elephants”, “WildlifeDirect Warriors” and quite a few schooling and advocacy applications, she has helped mobilize public assist, strengthen consciousness and defend Kenya’s wildlife heritage.
About WildlifeDirect
WildlifeDirect is a Kenyan conservation group working to attach folks to nature and wildlife in order that they treasure it and act to preserve it. Its work spans advocacy, schooling, justice, discipline studying and storytelling, with a deal with inspiring conservation motion throughout Kenya, Africa and the broader International South. By means of progressive applications together with the WildlifeDirect Children Discipline Lab, youth engagement initiatives, conservation media and coverage advocacy, WildlifeDirect helps construct a future the place folks and nature thrive collectively.
