Phillip Kuvawoga

Phillip's bold and love for nature was imprinted at a very young age. Growing up within the protected areas in Zimbabwe allowed him to spend his holidays with his family, touring and experiencing the magnificent parks. He belongs to the lion totem “Shumba Mhazi”, this association and identity to a particular animal is the foundation and anchor for his compassion and stewardship towards nature. It is Phillip's mission to ensure these species which we have been given dominion over continue to thrive in the wild and in harmony with mankind.  

Phillip brings with him 15 years of experience working on the nexus of environmental planning and conservation with government and international NGOs involved in the governance of natural resources in Africa. Upon completion of his university studies, he started his career as a resident ecologist (Planning) Zambezi Valley Research Unit, based at Marongora Field Station. His responsibility included monitoring the Illegal Killings of Elephants under the IUCN (MIKE) project. In 2010, Phillip became the Principal Planning leading planning efforts across the Protected Area network, national wildlife censuses, and environmental compliance. In 2015, he joined WWF Zimbabwe and in that role, led the development, coordination, and promotion of protected area initiatives on the Zimbabwean side of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier-Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). Through work in field project, he managed to produce management and tourism plans for Hwange National Park (HNP), Gonarezhou and Mana Pools National Park and helped reduce the illegal killing of iconic species in Hwange National Park. Phillip's deep passion for wildlife conservation compelled him to take up a role with IFAW to nurture smart partnerships and empower communities to ensure transformative and sustainable conservation at the landscape level. 

As Senior Director - Conservation, Phillip will lead strategy development for IFAW’s global landscape conservation work and, manage the implementation of on-the-ground projects globally focusing on habitat security, community livelihood interventions, and research.