Aiita Joshua Apamaku
on Youth Empowerment for Wildlife Conservation
“Youth are the leaders of tomorrow!
These words have been well used to tokenize and brainwash young people without providing them with meaningful spaces to showcase and elaborate their potential.”
How can youth magically blend science-telling and storytelling and unleash this unlimited potential?
Aiita Joshua Apamaku took the matter into his own young hands, as he believes “inspiration comes from within.” That’s how he discovered that his purpose stands at the intersection between people and nature, a rather complex mission for a 26-year-old.
In his view, storytelling has the power to inspire attitudes and establish just systems for climate action and conservation: “The world is full of amazing creatures and stories that inspire us, so this could be our ideal source for finding the positivity we are craving.”
Born in Uganda, one of the most nature-rich countries in the world, Aiita Joshua grew up determined to take action to protect his lovely country. His interest in wildlife and biodiversity led him to pursue a career in biology and to focus on this interconnectedness of human action and the climate crisis:
“Humans have a long-standing relationship with their environment which goes beyond their livelihoods and to a greater extent to the meaning of life.”
This co-existence has been here for millennia, so Aiita Joshua is extremely driven to unpack the complexities and relationships between conservation and the cultures of people who have for long stood as the face of protection of the most beautiful areas in Uganda.
He is a Wildlife Biologist, National Geographic Young Explorer, and Darwin200 Leader who constantly engages in policy, research and community conservation programs and represents youth at COPs. Aiita Joshua co-founded NatureWILD Hub, a Non-Profit redefining conservation and co-created National Geographic's #GenGeo program, where he trained 168 young conservation professionals through his flagship “Your Nature Inspiration” program. He is also a Young African Leadership Initiative Alumnus and a Global Ambassador for Youth4Nature.
Through "A Just Natural Africa”, his podcast, Aiita Joshua brings to light the voices involved in Africa’s protection and conservation. No wonder, as he always dreamt of raising awareness and cross-knowledge sharing, capacity-building and promotion of young Africans engaged in conservation. Such brave initiatives put in the spotlight brave young humans who actively doing, engaging and shifting the outdated narratives and paradigms within the nature conservation realm.
Read Aiita Joshua Apamaku’s answers for Inspirators and discover the ways he is championing conservation by bridging intergenerational gaps and helping youth find their purpose!
Thank you, Aiita Joshua, for being a Young Conservationist!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Aiita Joshua Apamaku
Company / Institution: NatureWILD
Title: Co-Founder and Partnerships Lead; National Geographic Young Explorer; Wildlife Biologist
Website: https://explorer-directory.nationalgeographic.org/aiita-joshua-apamaku/ www.thenaturewild.org
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aiita-joshua-apamaku-5a6a3a134/
Country of origin: Uganda
Country you currently live in: Uganda
Your definition of Regeneration: Regeneration denotes the passion, interest and zeal, an undying culture to leave the World a better place than you found it; and that I believe is the sole purpose of life. I choose to stand for Wildlife and Wildlands!
Main business challenge you face: Whereas I do not run a business, fundraising for a charity as a Co-Founder of one can be quite challenging.
Main driver that keeps you going: Reflection on the impact I create through the stories I tell. It serves as a note of my story of resilience so far- and how much further I can go.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Resilience. The desire to constantly learn, improve and inspire through my professional niche and, of course, day to day life.
The trait you most value in others: Optimism and empathy.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: I draw inspiration from every single intervention I make to protect and conserve wildlife and wildlands, protect and conserve nature and most importantly help people feel more connected to the natural world.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path: I draw lots of inspiration from those who have walked the professional journey like myself including David Attenborough. I also find extremely inspiring my professional mentors and friends, including Vance Martin, Dr. Akankwasah Barirega who empower me through their professional journeys.
Of course, family and friends have shaped my journey growing up at different stages.
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: A leap of faith is all it takes! Learning is a continuous journey and, also, an adaptive process. We all learn by doing what we love. These are anecdotes I have taken as an early career professional and Co-Founder of a Conservation Charity.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
“Carbon offsets are an example of Nature-based Solutions”- a cliche often used in the wrong context and has always been misleading and undermines rights-based approaches.
“Youth are the leaders of tomorrow” has also been used to tokenize and brainwash youth without providing them with meaningful spaces to showcase and elaborate their potential.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: Hope is a good thing, probably the best of things!
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
WILD: An Elemental Journey by Jay Griffiths. This book expounds on the story of a relationship, an intimate socio-cultural connection with Wildernesses in an expedition around the World. This is worth a read for those interested in understanding the connection between Wildernesses - the natural World - and Cultures.
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: A Life on Our Planet, Chimp Empire, Virunga.
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: A Just Natural Africa, a podcast I produced on Protected and Conserved Areas in Africa.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Reggae, Rhumba/Lingala, R&B plus lots of Country Music.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Zanzibar, USA and of course the Countrysides in Uganda all-time.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow: Youth4Nature.
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: Rights-based approaches to resource access, use and conservation especially within local community settings - still a global challenge in most policy and legislation fora but worth keeping an eye on.
Events we should attend / Best places for networking (online or offline): LinkedIn, WILDHUB, and I would recommend Biodiversity Conferences and Conventions!
Impactful and relevant Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses or certifications: Landscape Leadership by the Global Landscapes Forum; lots of lessons on respecting and acknowledging rights and tenure systems for conservation co-leadership and management in shared landscapes.
Project Management for Wildlife by WILDTeam.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: The World is full of amazing creatures that inspire us! By riding on these, we are drawing inspiration and positivity, because Inspiration is from within!
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: I am not a pessimistic individual and often believe in the positives - for the best.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Resilience, Inspiration, Systems-thinking, Storytelling, Gratitude and Kindness.
The Inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition is:
Vance Gregory Martin
The quote that inspires you:
“I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses. We must never forget that it is our duty to protect this environment.” (Nelson Mandela)
Your quote that will inspire us:
