Les Carlisle has been an intrinsic part of the &Beyond team for more than 28 years, providing invaluable conservation management across the group and we are ecstatic to have him onboard as a director of Lessons in Conservation.

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Les’s long history with conservation began in February 1991 with the creation of &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. Not only was he involved in the building of the reserve but he played an instrumental role in reintroducing all of the wildlife, including predators, onto Phinda, and managing the game translocations required to transform it into the world-renowned reserve it is today.

Les has a talent for connecting with people and was responsible for establishing the initial community relationships and development committees for Phinda. He is a committed proponent of the view that one of the essential components of conservation is getting benefits flowing to local people and communities so that they come to understand the relevance of conservation areas.

 

LiC has drawn a lot of knowledge from him on how critical these relationships, which LiC is essentially built on, are.

 

A conservation legend in Africa, Asia and South America, Les is truly serving to save.