“Everyone working in the space [conservation] needs to think about what are the limitations and the challenges the conservation sector has, and definitely, in my opinion, the timelines of many of the projects are very problematic. In a conservation setting where you have to work through, where you want to work through community leadership, you don't build trust in three, four years with locally embedded [structures and systems], be it forest block committees or farmers associations. Essentially farmers or local people who have been living in the landscape and interacting with the landscape already for a couple of generations and definitely for many generations to come...”

I’m excited to bring you the first episode of Grounded! (originally recorded in Malawi in March 2024). Our guest: Ruben Foquet. A passionate environmentalist and conservationist.

When I sat down with Ruben to have this conversation, I didn’t think I’d leave the conversation thinking more critically about projects and initiatives centered on conservation and what we can say truly encompasses conservation leadership. I was curious about his career path and what initially led him into this journey, and as I came to discover, it was a journey that started with an opportunity, and that opportunity became a journey that has spanned four African countries.

At the time of recording this conversation, Ruben was serving as the Country Director for Malawi for WeForest, a Belgian non-profit organisation that we speak more about in the episode. He has since transitioned out of the organisation but continues to be engaged in conservation through other work. Given that this episode was also recorded in a forest (on the slopes of Zomba Plateau), you may hear birds chirping in the background or the wind slightly blowing against the leaves, but that said, I hope you enjoy it!

Have a listen and let me know what you think in the comment section!

* Follow Ruben’s adventures on his Instagram page, @adventuruben.

* Or find out more about his work through his website, Ruben Foquet.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lizmwangi.substack.com