Tipping Points 24 - Wild leadership: Experiences from pioneering women in conservation

Facilitator: Nkabeng Mzileni
Dr. Nkabeng Mzileni is General Manager of the Cape and Arid Research Units at South African National Parks, where she facilitates strategic science-management support for national parks. For her PhD she studied bovine tuberculosis in the lions of Kruger National Park.
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health, an NGO which protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through a recognition of the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and the environment. She established Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first veterinary department in 1996. In 2021, she was recognised by Avance Media as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Africa and won the UN Environment Program Champions of the Earth Laureate in the Science and Innovation Category. Her memoir, “Walking with Gorillas: the Journey of an African Wildlife Vet”, was published in 2023.
Sakhile Silitshena
Sakhile Silitshena Koketso is head of the Science, Policy and Governance Unit at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), where she oversees the climate change, forest, ecosystem restoration, drylands, marine, protected areas, agriculture, freshwater, and invasive species programmes of the Convention. Previously she worked for the Green Climate Fund’s Office of Governance Affairs where she was responsible for managing the relationship between the Fund and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Simangele Msweli
Simangele Msweli is a conservationist with an interest in research, community engagement and policy development. She holds a master’s degree in biological sciences, specialising in pollination biology, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is Senior Manager, Youth Leadership Programme at the African Wildlife Foundation. She previously served in the South African Youth Biodiversity Network, the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, the African CSOs Biodiversity Alliance and Oceans Alive Project of WildOceans.
About Tipping Points
Guided by Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation’s approach of asking the questions that matter, this solutions-based webinar series explores how we can step back from environmental tipping points and foster a sustainable future for both Africa’s people and nature. Every month thought leaders, disruptors, and researchers gather to address key questions for Africa’s future through an exploration of African environmental research, conservation, sustainability, and development. Complex challenges have no quick fixes. Inclusive conversation that shares perspectives, uplifts African narratives, challenges conservation paradigms, and interrogates possible paths of action is critical in navigating complicated, interconnected issues.
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