Podcast Summary: Robin's Nest from American Humane

Episode: Expanding Africa’s Wild Frontiers with Peter Chadwick

Host: Dr. Robin Ganzert
Guest: Peter Chadwick, CEO of Conservation Landscape Institute
Release Date: October 20, 2025

Overview

This episode of Robin’s Nest features an in-depth conversation with Peter Chadwick, a renowned conservation specialist, photojournalist, and CEO of the Conservation Landscape Institute (CLI). With almost 40 years of experience across 25 African countries, Peter discusses the transformative efforts to restore and connect ecosystems in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The episode explores the collaborative conservation model being developed as a global blueprint, the challenges and successes of frontline conservation, the power of visual storytelling, and the personal inspiration behind a life dedicated to wildlife protection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Peter Chadwick’s Conservation Journey

• Early Inspiration:
  • Peter grew up in Zimbabwe, inspired by his father to spend time outdoors, cultivating a passion for conservation.
    • "I grew up in the bush of Zimbabwe. My father inspired me to stay out in the outdoors and I think that grew the passion for conservation." —Peter Chadwick [01:06]
• Diverse Experience:
  • His career spans 25 African countries over almost four decades, witnessing both the difficulties and privileges of working in a continent with rich biodiversity and complex challenges.
• Returning to the Eastern Cape:
  • Peter views the Eastern Cape as a "pivot" to concentrate his experiences and innovations for global conservation.
    • "We can take the Eastern Cape as an incredible pivot to the rest of the globe. What do we do for conservation into the future?" —Peter Chadwick [01:52]

Challenges in Frontline Conservation

• Rising Wildlife and Environmental Crime:
  • Significant increase in global wildlife crime, now a syndicated criminal activity.
    • "Wildlife and environmental crime increasing as a global syndicated criminal activity... we've never been at such a pivotal point of our future existence..." —Peter Chadwick [02:55]
• Hope and Progress:
  • Despite setbacks, there’s global momentum for positive change.
    • Peter reflects on the human-induced state of the earth but stresses the unprecedented energy for solutions.
    • "Never in the history of mankind has there been such a global movement for moving forward in a positive direction." —Peter Chadwick [03:22]
• Case Study: Elephant Conservation:
  • Early in his career, participated in elephant culling; this painful process spurred innovation in elephant translocation.
    • "Some of my first duties were on those culling operations. And it was tragic... But through that process we actually moved the first elephant calves to a new protected area... it taught us that then if we can move calves, we can move adults. And now we’re able to translocate elephants." —Peter Chadwick [03:08–04:21]

Vision for Connected Conservation Landscapes

• The Eastern Cape Model:
  • CLI’s mission is to create a connected conservation landscape from 450,000 hectares to over a million, integrating coast to arid Karoo.
  • Emphasizes the necessity of balancing environmental, biodiversity, and community benefits.
    • "It's not about Conservation Landscapes Institute or Wilderness Foundation, it's about the environment, about biodiversity, but it's also about the people." —Peter Chadwick [05:40]
• Collaboration Across Sectors:
  • Noteworthy willingness in the Eastern Cape among government, NGOs, private sector, landowners, farmers, hunters, and conservationists to collaborate.
    • "National government, provincial government, NGOs, private sector, farmers, hunters, conservationists, to actually sit around the same table in the same direction... it's really what's going to unlock this innovation and transformation." —Peter Chadwick [06:37]

The Bushman’s River Corridor and Tanglewood Project

• Project Details:
  • Tanglewood: About 1,000 hectares in the Bushman's River Valley, forming a vital corridor linking northern and southern private reserves.
  • Aim to drop fences, creating a contiguous 150,000-acre landscape for key species like black rhino, cheetah, and elephants.
  • The area now boasts over 1,000 documented species, including 20+ that are endangered or threatened.
    • "Once we start getting to that scale, we can start talking about real socio-economic benefits... very difficult as a small property... to create meaningful benefits for our communities..." —Peter Chadwick [09:38]
• Transformation from Hunting to Conservation:
  • The Brad and Alice Andrews Preserve, previously a hunting property, now represents a beacon of progressive conservation.
    • "That land was, was a hunting area... not a very positive hunter. He was anything that kind of moved, he took out. Certainly not progressive to the landscape... this is the first fence that drops." —Peter Chadwick [10:52–11:22]
  • Cutting the first fence serves as a catalyst for broader participation and optimism in the region.

The Power of Storytelling and Photojournalism

• Visual Conservation Storytelling:
  • Photography as a tool to raise awareness and drive action in the “millisecond world” of media.
  • Works with the International League of Conservation Photographers to share urgent environmental stories, sometimes reaching tens of millions worldwide.
    • "The quickest way to do that is through an impactful image... what are the critical stories that need to be told? ... Some images get seen by sort of 40, 50 million people. So it's not the solution, it's part of the awareness." —Peter Chadwick [12:53–15:32]
• Role in Shifting Policy:
  • Cites project with Photographers Against Wildlife Crime, which influenced attitudes within China towards wildlife protection.
    • "The Chinese Communist Party have actually endorsed the work that we've been doing..." —Peter Chadwick [15:00]

Personal Inspiration: The Black Rhino

• Why the Black Rhino?
  • Sees the black rhino as a symbol of Africa's strength, independence, and conservation hope.
    • "Black Rhino, for me, is an icon of Africa... if we can look after the Black Rhino, it means that we’re looking after places like this because for black rhino to thrive, they need a healthy environment." —Peter Chadwick [16:16]
  • The black rhino’s survival ensures the well-being of its entire ecosystem.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Progress and Hope:
  • "Where people have a problem in front of them, we're able to find a solution. And that keeps me excited, that keeps me positive, is let's find those solutions that pivot us in the right direction." —Peter Chadwick [04:29]
• On Collaboration:
  • "Success is about partnerships and, and the more that we can excite people and, and enthuse people and grow that partnership, the greater the success, the greater the impact." —Peter Chadwick [17:51]
• On Awareness:
  • Dr. Robin Ganzert: "You can't protect what you don't love. You can't love what you don't know. And on the flip side, you can't solve for problems if you're not aware of those problems." [15:32]
• On Urgency:
  • "We have to act with urgency because we know the biodiversity crisis is real and we must act together in collaborations." —Dr. Robin Ganzert [17:11]

Important Timestamps

• 01:06 — Peter shares his early life stories and origin of his conservation passion.
• 02:55 — Reflections on challenges, particularly increases in organized wildlife crime.
• 03:08–04:21 — Impactful story about elephant culling turning into elephant translocation innovation.
• 05:40–07:16 — CLI’s vision and the keys to collaboration in the Eastern Cape.
• 08:02–10:42 — Description of Tanglewood, the Bushman’s River Corridor, and the Brad and Alice Andrews Preserve.
• 12:53–15:32 — The role of photography and storytelling in conservation.
• 16:05–16:16 — Why Peter is inspired by the black rhino and what it represents for conservation success.
• 17:47–18:08 — The importance of partnerships and leaving a conservation legacy.

Conclusion

Peter Chadwick’s approach in South Africa’s Eastern Cape blends innovative landscape restoration, community collaboration, and powerful storytelling—offering a hopeful blueprint for global conservation efforts. The episode spotlights real-world examples of transformation, from ending damaging hunting practices to igniting community and global action, and reminds listeners that effective conservation is always a partnership—of people, expertise, and passion.