Meet Miguel Kinavuidi, our friend for the month of July. Miguel is the Project Technical Manager at the Angolan Ministry of Environment, the Executive Secretary of the Game Ranger’s Association of Africa - Angola, and the EPI’s National Focal Point for Angola. Aside from his formal roles, he is a conservationist and climate activist who is passionate about supporting the African youth initiative on climate change.
Miguel Kinavuidi in nature
Tell us a little bit about your childhood, younger years and your academic journey.
I had a very happy but challenging childhood growing up in downtown Luanda, Angola. As a child, I was curious. I enjoyed playing football and practicing martial arts. Looking back, my childhood helped me become the disciplined and organised man that I am today. I’ve always been passionate about engineering and the environment, which is why my academic journey led me to study mechatronic engineering at the Methodist University in Angola. I later attended the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Israel, where I studied the Environmental Management Course, Environmental Management of Nature Parks and Reserves. Currently, I am pursuing a master’s degree in environmental engineering.
The knowledge and skills I have gained through my education have been invaluable, and they continue to expose me to multicultural environments where I can share my experience with confidence and collaborate towards achieving our institutional goals. Reflecting on my academic path, I'm proud of the hard work and accomplishments that have brought me to this point.
Elephant in Angola
From your diverse academic background to being the Executive Secretary of Game Rangers' Association of Africa - Angola, how do all the disciplines you have mastered come together in the conservation sector?
I started my career as a project engineer and designer in the oil and gas sector, where I was exposed to a lot of multidisciplinary training and tools to understand project processes, implementation phases, and monitoring. During this time, I was also involved in environmental activism, participating in awareness campaigns at the university and community level.
In 2015, I decided to change careers and go into the environment sector by working at the National Institute of Biodiversity and Conservation Areas at the Ministry of Environment. Due to my technical skills and fluency in English and French, I started working with the Biodiversity and Conservation project (GEF 4 & EU) at Iona National Park, where I was directly involved with ranger management and community engagement.
In 2018, I decided to join global institutions in lobbying for the improvement of park ranger conditions and voices by forming the Game Rangers Association of Africa, an international organisation that works and advocates for park rangers in Africa. At this organisation, we believe that park rangers deserve to not only work in better conditions but to be well trained and equipped to better perform their work. I personally believe that park rangers play a vital role in protecting our biodiversity; without rangers, our biodiversity is exposed to loss and vulnerable. I use all my academic and work experience to contribute to protecting our unique source of life and the continuity of our generations; all kinds of life matter.
Image on the left: Miguel Kinavuidi, John E Scanlon AO and Ulysse Korogone from the EPI Foundation at the 10th anniversary event in Nairobi 2024.
As EPI's National Focal Point for Angola, you have been vocal about community-based conservation. Are there actionable steps you think people living in communities affected by human-elephant conflict can take to promote coexistence?
Yes, communities play an important role in promoting human-elephant coexistence due to their exposure to conflicts. It is important for us to educate our local communities on the sources of conflicts and equip them with effective strategies using the tools available to mitigate these conflicts. Activities like creating awareness within communities so that they better understand elephant behaviours, implementing mitigation techniques, and education on conservation benefits are essential in empowering the community to promote coexistence and improving their livelihood through effective participation.
Miguel Kinavuidi at EPI and World Bank's GWP Technical Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya 2024.
You are in a unique position because you interact with global leaders in conservation, enabling you to see the big picture of conservation development, and you also work hand in hand with communities that are directly affected by wildlife. Tell us more about your experience from this perspective.
It is indeed a unique position and with great responsibility to advocate to balance the needs and solutions for both global leaders in conservation and our local communities. From a very remote area to high-level conference meetings, we carry messages from people to leaders and vice versa. I must strike a delicate balance between promoting immediate action for mid- and long-term results for the community and being accountable to the goals we set on a global basis. We work on adapting global solutions to local needs, constantly evolving our communication, and influencing policies, regulations, and laws based on the reality on the ground to improve conservation benefits for both people and wildlife.
Looking ahead on a personal level, what are your dreams and ambitions for the conservation of Angola’s elephants?
I look ahead with great hope because we have been doing our best to preserve our remaining elephant population. With the support of EPI and the Angolan Government, we have designed strategies, action plans, and resource mobilisation, which are a good foundation for the success of elephant conservation. It is my ambition to implement the plans we have made effectively while creating a National Elephant Conservation Fund to support research and scholars who are interested in contributing to the body of knowledge of elephant conservation.
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