Online Learning

Susan Snyman, PhD, is the Director of Research at the African Leadership University’s School of Wildlife Conservation.  Having completed coursework at the University of Goteborg in Sweden, the focus of her PhD research (through the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town) measured the socio-economic impact of high-end ecotourism in remote, rural communities adjacent to protected areas, based on over 1,600 community surveys in six southern African countries.  From 2008-2018, Sue worked for Wilderness Safaris, a private sector ecotourism operator, in various roles, including as Group Sustainability Manager. She was vice-chair of the IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist (TAPAS) Group and Coordinator of the Communities & Heritage Working Group in TAPAS for nine years and recently managed the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme for IUCN in 24 countries in Africa.  Sue is currently leading on a project looking at the wildlife economy across Africa.  The project investigates ways to unlock the potential of the wildlife economy in different countries, using policy-and practice-relevant research to support findings and decision-making. Her overall research focuses on promoting sustainable, diversified wildlife economies in Africa and encouraging investment in conservation and the related wildlife economy activities.