Africa’s wildlife laws still follow a 1933 colonial conservation model that excludes communities and fails to protect wildlife. It’s time to do away with it.

In my latest study, I analysed wildlife laws in all 54 African countries and found they were similar. This made me wonder: where did the laws and regulations come from, why were they so similar and how have they endured even after independence?

I found that many protected areas across the continent are still shaped by a colonial-era system that separates people from nature and restricts local communities’ access to land and resources.