EXCLUSIVE: Meet the brains behind historic Giants Club Summit
Dr Max Graham is a practical man. And not just because of his sturdy boots, given he operates in the wild and you’re never entirely certain what you might step into, but because his optimism is or appears to me at least, to be grounded in reality.
‘Kenyan-Mexican’ award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has become synonymous, in Kenya at least, with the phrase, “your dreams are valid.” A phrase she used in her Oscar award acceptance speech back in 2014.
Between April 28 and 30, at least one of Dr Graham’s dreams – as founder and CEO of elephant protection organisation Space for Giants – will become a reality when three heads of state and more than a hundred policy makers and influencer from the world over convene in Kenya to hammer out commitments that he hopes will see at least 200 of Africa’s 400 thousand elephants keep their ivory on their heads for the next five years, in the first ever Giants Club Summit.
Overview
In recognition of which, he says, it’s critical human-wildlife conflict is guarded against and that the communities that live in and around wildlife protected areas dare not be overlooked.
“Confronting people who’ve had their crops damaged is possibly the most difficult reality I have had to confront as a conservationist. The reality that wildlife isn’t just out of the Lion King but actually causes people real suffering and unless those people are protected from wildlife and unless they’re receiving benefits from wildlife, wildlife has no future.”
And so while the Giants Club Summit is definitely a step in the right direction and the torching of 105 tonnes of ivory by President Kenyatta a grand gesture, it’s but a first step. The true test of success, a practical Dr Graham is unequivocal, begins after the big names have boarded their flights for home.
You may ask, as I did, why the aim is not to keep all 400,000 of Africa’s remaining giants alive and that’s where that practicality I spoke about earlier comes in.
Space for Giants through the Giants Club can only realistically commit to working to keep alive the elephants who roam the savannahs and inhabit the forests of the four countries – Kenya, Uganda, Gabon and Botswana – whose heads of state have shown sufficient enough political goodwill to sign on as members of the Giants Club.
“If you focus on the winners then you’ll win. There are some places (where) it doesn’t matter how much money you’ve got or how many good ideas you have, if there isn’t that political leadership at the very top, it’s a losing battle. So I think that’s really why we have to keep real and a bit more pragmatic than just saying we’re going to solve all of Africa’s elephants’ problems. We’re not. Many elephants will keep dying particularly in Central Africa (and) parts of East Africa because in reality it just isn’t a priority to the guys on top,” Dr Graham explains.
‘Kenyan-Mexican’ award winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has become synonymous, in Kenya at least, with the phrase, “your dreams are valid.” A phrase she used in her Oscar award acceptance speech back in 2014.
Between April 28 and 30, at least one of Dr Graham’s dreams – as founder and CEO of elephant protection organisation Space for Giants – will become a reality when three heads of state and more than a hundred policy makers and influencer from the world over convene in Kenya to hammer out commitments that he hopes will see at least 200 of Africa’s 400 thousand elephants keep their ivory on their heads for the next five years, in the first ever Giants Club Summit.
Overview
In recognition of which, he says, it’s critical human-wildlife conflict is guarded against and that the communities that live in and around wildlife protected areas dare not be overlooked.
“Confronting people who’ve had their crops damaged is possibly the most difficult reality I have had to confront as a conservationist. The reality that wildlife isn’t just out of the Lion King but actually causes people real suffering and unless those people are protected from wildlife and unless they’re receiving benefits from wildlife, wildlife has no future.”
And so while the Giants Club Summit is definitely a step in the right direction and the torching of 105 tonnes of ivory by President Kenyatta a grand gesture, it’s but a first step. The true test of success, a practical Dr Graham is unequivocal, begins after the big names have boarded their flights for home.
You may ask, as I did, why the aim is not to keep all 400,000 of Africa’s remaining giants alive and that’s where that practicality I spoke about earlier comes in.
Space for Giants through the Giants Club can only realistically commit to working to keep alive the elephants who roam the savannahs and inhabit the forests of the four countries – Kenya, Uganda, Gabon and Botswana – whose heads of state have shown sufficient enough political goodwill to sign on as members of the Giants Club.
“If you focus on the winners then you’ll win. There are some places (where) it doesn’t matter how much money you’ve got or how many good ideas you have, if there isn’t that political leadership at the very top, it’s a losing battle. So I think that’s really why we have to keep real and a bit more pragmatic than just saying we’re going to solve all of Africa’s elephants’ problems. We’re not. Many elephants will keep dying particularly in Central Africa (and) parts of East Africa because in reality it just isn’t a priority to the guys on top,” Dr Graham explains.