African People & Wildlife’s Laly Lichtenfeld Named a 2027 Indianapolis Prize Nominee
Before community-led conservation became a global priority, Lichtenfeld and Tanzanian communities were showing what it could achieve for wildlife
ARUSHA, Tanzania, [September 16, 2026] — African People & Wildlife (APW) today announced that Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Laly Lichtenfeld has been named a Nominee for the 2027 Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation.
Lichtenfeld is among 27 conservationists selected for the 2027 group of Nominees.
Nearly three decades ago, Lichtenfeld began working with communities in Tanzania to prevent retaliatory killings of lions by helping families keep their livestock safer. At the time, conservation gave far less attention to community leadership and rural livelihoods than it does today. The work helped show that protecting wildlife required practical answers to the risks and costs faced by the people living closest to it.
From those early efforts grew a conservation model built for the complexity of places where people, livestock and wildlife depend on the same land and water. Developed with Tanzanian communities and implemented in coordination with government authorities, scientists and conservation partners, the model now addresses conflict involving large carnivores, elephants, and Africa’s other iconic animals across very different conditions.
African People & Wildlife brings together conflict prevention and rapid response, community-collected data, habitat monitoring and restoration, environmental education and livelihood opportunities for rural women. This allows the organization to respond to immediate threats to wildlife while also addressing the longer-term health of the land and the well-being of nearby communities.
Community members hold leading roles throughout the work. They serve as conservation officers, rangeland monitors, educators and entrepreneurs. Their observations and data guide field responses and inform decisions, while coordination among village, district, regional and national stakeholders connects local experience with science, policy and conservation planning.
“Those early years taught us that wildlife, people, land and livelihoods have to be understood together,” said Lichtenfeld. “We kept listening, testing and measuring. The evidence gave us confidence to broaden the work across species and landscapes while keeping community leadership at its center.”
“This nomination may carry my name, but it represents an extraordinary Tanzanian team, dedicated community leaders and years of collaboration with government and conservation partners,” she continued. “I am enormously proud of what we have built together and grateful that this recognition brings greater attention to the Tanzanian leadership and ideas behind it.”
Today, African People & Wildlife works across six conservation landscapes encompassing 5.1 million acres and 85 partner communities in Tanzania. Through training and advisory partnerships, conservation practitioners in six additional African countries have drawn on elements of the organization’s signature ACTIVE community engagement approach. These partnerships are extending the relevance of conservation solutions first developed and tested in Tanzania.
The Indianapolis Prize recognizes conservationists whose work has achieved significant, measurable progress toward the long-term survival of an animal species or group of species. The Prize’s Nominating Committee will select six DeHaan Finalists in early 2027. A Jury will then select the Indianapolis Prize Winner. The award is presented by the Indianapolis Zoo.
Lichtenfeld was previously nominated for the 2025 Indianapolis Prize.
For the official announcement and complete list of 2027 Nominees, visit the Prize website.
About African People & Wildlife
African People & Wildlife works to ensure a future in which people and wildlife thrive together. Founded in Tanzania in 2005, the organization partners with communities to develop practical, evidence-based solutions that protect wildlife, sustain healthy lands, strengthen rural livelihoods, and expand local conservation leadership.
Media Contact
Katy Teson
African People & Wildlife
kteson@africanpeoplewildlife.org