Wildlife poaching is a complicated problem. But for many years, most anti-poaching groups had only one way of fighting it. Many organizations adopted the same formula: A battalion of men, armed to the teeth, ready to act as a last line of defense between the poachers and the animals. But these efforts lacked community stewardship - they didn't build solutions, they burned bridges. They were costly, they were deadly, and they were lacking one critical thing:

Women.

Now, Akashinga - Africa's first all-women, plant-based, armed anti-poaching group - has forged a new model for anti-poaching and conservation. Beginning as a group of 16 women, Akashinga is now over 600 strong, protecting over 9 million acres across several countries. Each Akashinga ranger comes directly from the communities that she is working to protect. And the ripple effects are massive, shifting conservation into something truly community-led and sustainable.

Despite their revolutionary approach, the group was founded by somebody who never expected to be working in anti-poaching. Damien Mander is an Australian who began his career working in some of the most elite military groups in the world. When he developed a passion for anti-poaching, he knew he had to do something. "I had two things," he says, "and those were particular set of skills, and some money." So he liquidated his life savings to train the first class of the women who would become the original Akashinga Rangers.

This is a story about how to truly build change from the ground up, how to protect what matters most, and how to harness one of the most powerful forces on this planet - women - to create a more vibrant future for everyone.

FIND AKASHINGA AND DAMIEN

Learn more about Akashinga on their website, Akashinga.org. You can watch the National Geographic short film titled 'Akashinga: The Brave Ones' on National Geographic's website or on Disney Plus. You can also follow them on Instagram, Facebook, X, and other social channels @weareakashinga.

SOCIAL

Share the show with your friends! Subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening, follow @armchairexplorerpodcast on Instagram and Facebook, check out Armchair Explorer's website, and learn more about APT Podcast Studios on their website.

CREDITS

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com. Jenny Allison wrote and produced this episode, along with host and producer Aaron Millar. Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Theme music written by the artist Sweet Chap. Cover artwork courtesy of Akashinga.org. In-episode video excerpts from the short film courtesy of National Geographic and Akashinga.

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