Lauren Evans has worked in conservation, always in an interdisciplinary way, in East Africa for 15 years, where tensions between social justice and conservation can be glaring. 

Lauren’s PhD and post-doctoral research examined the political ecology of electrified ‘elephant’ fences in Laikipia, Kenya:  the politics they both represent and create. Lauren delved into issues of identity and access in relation to land by pastoralists and conservationists and looked at elephants as political actors.  She then directed the conservation science department for a Kenyan-based conservation NGO for six years. Increasingly, Lauren felt a drive away from the top-down, market-based, protectionist solutions she faced.  So she set up Human Nature:  a for-purpose organisation that helps conservation organisations connect deeply with the people they work with, creating inclusive and lasting solutions that balance the needs of people and nature.

She has trained as an accredited conflict mediator and practitioner in nonviolent communication and restorative dialogue. Lauren wants to shake up the sector and create a solution that is led by connection, empathy, and humanity.