Embassy Welcomes American Conservation Social Scientist in Hoedspruit
Meredith Gore, a world-renowned conservation social scientist hosted conversations and stakeholder meetings with conservation officials and students in Hoedspruit, Potchefstroom, Centurion, and KwaZulu-Natal from September 30 to October 6.
Gore conducted a presentation at the Southern African Wildlife College.
Gore is an Associate Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU), and is a Jefferson Science Fellow. In this role, Gore leverages her scientific expertise in conservation criminology to help investigate, in particular, the linkages between criminal activity and wildlife trafficking, including the convergence in different types of illegal trafficking networks.
“My job has three primary parts, the first part being research, followed by teaching then service. I feel very lucky because I get to marry the three together, I get to teach on conservation crime and I do research on conservation crime,” stated Gore, “My research is applied and global in nature and I say that humans are my species and the most challenging part of my job is doing work on conservation crime as I need to stay motivated and positive.”
The focus of Gore’s visit to South Africa provided insights about wildlife as an economic tool to combat poverty and shared best practices on combating wildlife crime, including local communities as active participants. Her research focuses on the relationships between humans and the environment, as well as community-based natural resource management.
“I struggle because I am an optimist, I see in a lot of places with a lot of pressure on the environment posing risks for the environment and one of the consequences of that pressure is the perception that sometimes human livelihood is not healthy as those individuals would like them to be. The trend is somewhat negative,” she told the HOEDSPRUIT HERALD.
“I see community based natural resource management as a idea being refined and I see it being revised in different contexts and being more and more revised in the local context and that is a positive thing. Community based natural resource management in many places is more responsive to local perceptions and local needs”.
“I am a mom of two and I also have a number of graduate students who also depend on me, I feel a great sense of pride and honour as I watch them grow particularity over the years. I really depend on my family as a sense of support, I love travelling and being a social scientist,” she concluded.
