Editor's Note: The power of the personal tale

As a reader of conservation stories, have you ever seen—ever wondered at—the acronym CBNRM? It stands for "community-based natural resource management" and is a mouthful, to be sure.

But last summer I traveled to southern Africa to see WWF's CBNRM work in action, and after spending 10 days with community members from Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, amidst the natural resources they depend on, and listening to them talk about managing those resources for a better future, the full power of CBNRM became clear.

It means conservation planning from the ground up. It means hearing directly from women who earn desperately needed income by harvesting local plants. It means talking to a man whose grandfather was killed by an elephant—and understanding what it takes for him to continue to value the elephants that share his land.

Acronyms like CBNRM represent real people and places—places where villagers, farmers, conservationists, safari operators, businesses, and wildlife must find ways to coexist. That’s why we’re bringing this CBNRM story to you.

Such stories—from Africa, Colombia, Macedonia, and more—always move me deeply. Please join me in learning from what they have to say.

Alex MacLennan

[email protected]