Lelani Mannetti, Namibia, Masters candidate in Conservation Ecology at Stellenbosch University, Windhoek. My passion in life revolves around the interface between society and our natural environment, and I’ve focused my academic career on studying communities living adjacent to national parks. For my Masters degree, I worked with the ≠Khomani Bushmen of the southern Kalahari, while my doctorate is focused on livestock farmers, agro-pastoralists and indigenous communities surrounding the Etosha National Park in Namibia. In my opinion, the rest of us can learn a great deal from such communities about our dependencies on nature, or at least be reminded thereof.

Being part of the Lost Mountain Symposium would teach me how to bring the complexities of my work down to the community level, where the knowledge would be salient. In having credibility, relevance and legitimacy, the symposium has the prerequisites in place for getting the message across; that the old rules no longer apply. My entire academic career I have sought after the connection between science, conservation, education and action. This opportunity would allow me to add adventure to that!