Damian Bell

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2 stories

In the cloud forests of Brava, Cabo Verde, community youth bend over thorny shrubs, pulling out these invasive plants that choke the native orchids and grasslands. Not far away, herders guide their cattle through cleared pastures, benefiting directly from the restoration work. These community members are inspired by an initiative that commenced thousands of kilometers away in India, where villagers and conservationists are wrestling with Lantana camara, an ornamental plant from Central America that has spread like wildfire, threatening forests, wildlife, and livelihoods alike. Yet in both places, these struggles are not just about removing a plant—they are about securing a future where people and ecosystems can coexist. Image courtesy of the author.

Local communities are conservation’s most undervalued asset (commentary)

José Monteiro, Moreangels Mbizah, Damian Bell, Monicah Mbiba 3 Mar 2026

Zebra in Rwanda. Photo by Rhett A. Butler

From crisis to solutions for communities and African conservation (commentary)

Dickson Kaelo, Daniel Sopia, Damian Bell, Richard Diggle, Fred Nelson 20 May 2020

News and Inspiration from Nature's Frontline.

Rangers at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria

Visitors report seeing kalij pheasants (Lophura leucomelanos), a forest-dependent native species, around the reforestation site. Image by Mprasannak via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Starting out as a terrestrial ecologist and environmental educator, Jessie Panazzolo is a proud carer of people who care for Mother Earth. In 2019, she founded the global community, Lonely Conservationists, a pioneering platform that provides resources, advocacy, and a voice to budding and burnt-out environmentalists. Advocating for the need to provide care to members of an often forgotten care-based industry, Jessie's websites, books, podcasts, and workshops are used to help budding and burnt-out conservationists around the world.

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