Zimbabwean wildlife biologist Liomba-Junior Mathe has received international recognition for his efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict and help communities coexist with lions and other large carnivores.
Picture: Liomba-Junior Mathe/LinkedIn
Mathe was named a 2026 Animal Action Award winner by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), recognising more than a decade of conservation work focused on protecting wildlife while safeguarding livestock and rural livelihoods.
According to Herald Online, Mathe will travel to London to receive the award at a ceremony celebrating contributions to animal welfare and wildlife conservation.
Finding ways for people and lions to coexist
Raised in Hwange, Zimbabwe, Mathe spent 11 years working with the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) through its Trans-Kalahari Predator Programme. During this time, he progressed from field assistant to leading the Long Shields Lion Guardian Programme.
The initiative addressed conflict between lions and communities living around Hwange National Park, where livestock losses can lead to retaliatory killings of predators through poisoning, spearing and shooting.
Working with local communities, Mathe and his colleagues introduced practical measures to reduce these encounters. These included community-based Lion Guardians, early-warning systems, predator-proof mobile enclosures and the use of vuvuzelas to deter lions from approaching livestock and settlements.
The mobile enclosures, known as bomas, provide a safer space for livestock at night and can be moved between agricultural fields. Their manure also helps improve soil fertility, offering an additional benefit to farming communities.
IFAW Zimbabwe country director Alleta Nyahuye said Mathe’s work demonstrated how conservation could protect wildlife without overlooking the needs of people who live alongside it.
“Liomba represents a generation of African conservation leaders who understand that protecting wildlife cannot come at the expense of people,” she said.
Nyahuye added that listening to communities and understanding the financial consequences of livestock losses were essential to developing solutions that protect livelihoods while keeping lions alive.
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From Hwange to international conservation
Mathe’s interest in wildlife began during a primary school visit to Hwange National Park, where he encountered elephants, giraffes, zebras and antelope in their natural habitat.
He went on to graduate with first-class honours in Biological Sciences from Midlands State University. He also studied International Wildlife Conservation Practice through WildCRU at the University of Oxford on a Recanati-Kaplan scholarship.
Over the course of his career, Mathe estimates that he has trained approximately 150 rangers and community guardians in practical approaches to managing human-wildlife conflict.
His conservation work has since expanded beyond lions to include cheetahs and hyenas, protected-area management, landscape connectivity and community engagement.
He is pursuing doctoral research in biodiversity monitoring and large-carnivore conservation with the Cheetah Conservation Fund, alongside doctoral studies in natural resource management and ecology at the Namibia University of Science and Technology.
Communities as conservation partners
For Mathe, the award recognises the collective effort behind conservation initiatives, rather than an individual achievement.
“This award may have my name on it, but I have never worked alone. There have always been people walking alongside me—communities, colleagues, mentors and conservationists who have shaped my journey,” he said.
He emphasised that communities living alongside wildlife should be treated as active partners in conservation, particularly when they bear the costs of sharing their land with large predators.
“We need to involve the communities that bear the cost of living next to wildlife. We should not consider them simply as beneficiaries; we should consider them as partners,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mathe hopes to contribute to conservation policy and planning across the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, a vast conservation landscape spanning several southern African countries.
The 2026 edition marks the 26th year of IFAW’s Animal Action Awards, which recognise individuals, organisations and animals for their contributions to wildlife conservation, rescue and animal welfare.
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