Podcast Summary: Why I want to bring lions back to my village | Seif Hamisi

Podcast: TED Talks Daily
Date: February 17, 2026
Speaker: Seif Hamisi
Host: Elise Hu
Recorded at: TED Countdown Summit, Nairobi, Kenya, 2025

Episode Overview

In this passionate TED Talk, conservationist Seif Hamisi draws on his childhood in rural Kenya to advocate for a new, economically-driven approach to conservation in Africa. Hamisi argues that true, sustainable conservation is achieved not by ecological solutions alone but by empowering communities economically and making nature itself a viable source of income. Through rich anecdotes and real-world examples, he demonstrates how community-led, market-based conservation models are already transforming landscapes and livelihoods across Africa, and he calls for accelerated adoption of these methods to restore both wildlife and local prosperity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Connection: Growing up with Lions

• Hamisi opens by recounting his childhood in Taveta, Kenya, where the nightly sound of lions was both fearsome and a “powerful, beautiful reminder of how close we lived with nature.”
  • Quote: “Picture this. You are a five or six year old getting ready to go to bed and then suddenly you hear these lion roars. This is how it was in the early 70s in my village in Taveta in Kenya...” (03:33)
• He laments the disappearance of these iconic animals from his village, reflecting a broader pattern of wildlife loss across Africa.

2. Framing the Crisis: Ecological vs. Economic Problems

• Hamisi describes a sharp decline in African wildlife—down “by three quarters” over 50 years—especially outside protected reserves.
• Billions have been spent on conservation, yet both wildlife and rural incomes have declined.
  • Key Insight: “We've been applying ecological solutions to fix what are inherently economic problems.” (05:05)
• The core issue: Conservation only works if it generates income for those who live closest to nature.

3. The Case for Capitalist Solutions in Conservation

• Hamisi challenges listeners to “grow capitalist solutions—not the exploitative type, but models where nature drives business, where healthy ecosystems bring real income to families.” (05:45)
  • He emphasizes partnerships and innovations that incentivize stewardship, not just protection.

4. Real-World Examples of Community-Led Conservation

A. South Africa: Livestock and Grasslands

• Hamisi shares the story of Ms. Poloheng Ngubo, a livestock farmer who adopted traditional rotational grazing to restore grasslands and improve cattle health.
• With market access direct to farms, “no middlemen, no long trips,” better prices support rural livelihoods.
  • Result: Healthier land, richer wildlife, and local incomes growing together.

B. Kenya: Forests and the Maasai Mara

• In Chulu Hills, farmers transitioned from slash-and-burn approaches to forest carbon projects, protecting a million acres of wilderness.
• Around the Maasai Mara, communities pool land into wildlife conservancies, leasing to safari operators and researchers while maintaining ownership and tradition.
  • During COVID-19, these conservancies sustained family incomes by taking and repaying loans when tourism collapsed—proving the model’s economic strength.
  • Impact Quote: “On average, household take around $230 per month, a little bit less than starting salary of a university graduate in Kenya. But in a place where jobs are scarce and the future is uncertain, nature is not only surviving, but it's paying bills, it's putting kids through schools.” (08:33)

5. The Economics of Conservation: Money as a Tool for Good

• Hamisi confronts the myth that “money is the root of all evil”—in conservation, “it's clearly the lack of it that's a true root of evil.”
  • Quote: “The lack of [money] is driving the forces of degradation and destruction that we see today...” (10:30)
• He highlights the acceleration of supportive policies (in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Kenya) funneling more revenue directly to communities.
• The expansion of technology, finance, and community voice makes now the right time for scaling these models.

6. Vision for the Future: Culture, Dignity, and Restoration

• Hamisi’s ultimate hope: “It's only through economic prosperity of people living alongside nature that nature, wildlife and wilderness will return.”
  • He dreams that, through these methods, his grandchildren might one day again hear lions roaring near their home.
  • Memorable Closing: “Maybe then my grandchildren will get to hear the lions roar back again.” (12:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On childhood and co-existence with nature:
  “Looking back, I see it as something powerful. A beautiful reminder of how close we lived with nature...” (03:46)

• On failed conservation investments:
  “All of us know that we've spent billions on conservation in Africa, yet wildlife keeps on declining and people are going deeper into poverty and becoming even more vulnerable to climate change.” (05:00)

• On money's role in conservation:
  “People talk about money as if it's the root of all evil. But in conservation of nature, it's clearly the lack of it that's the true root of evil...” (10:25)

• On the transformational power of new models:
  “Nature is not only surviving, but it's paying bills, it's putting kids through schools. It is bringing dignity, security and choice.” (09:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:33–05:45 – Childhood memories, wildlife decline, and why ecological-only approaches fail
• 05:45–08:00 – The pitch for capitalist/community and market-based models
• 08:00–09:40 – South African and Kenyan case studies: real-life stories and economic impact
• 09:40–10:25 – The economics of conservation: what really works
• 10:25–12:40 – Policy, technology, and community empowerment; vision for the future
• 12:40–13:04 – Emotional conclusion: hope for restoration

Takeaway

Seif Hamisi convincingly argues that the future of conservation in Africa lies not in ecological isolation, but in entrepreneurial partnerships with the very communities who call these landscapes home. Prosperity for people, he insists, is inextricable from prosperity for nature—a lesson with implications far beyond his Kenyan village.