TED Talks Daily Why I want to bring lions back to my village | Seif Hamisi
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Feb 17, 2026 
Seif Hamisi, a Kenyan conservationist who builds community-led, market-based wildlife solutions. He recalls lions vanishing from his village. He explains why conservation has failed when it ignores local livelihoods. He outlines capitalist approaches that turn nature into income through grazing reform, carbon projects and community conservancies.
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Childhood Roars That Disappeared
- Seif Hamisi recalls falling asleep to lions roaring near his village in the 1970s and later hearing those sounds vanish.
- That personal loss frames the broader decline of wildlife across Africa and motivates his conservation work.
Conservation Is An Economic Problem
- Hamisi argues that conservation has often failed because solutions focused on ecology, not economics of local people.
- He says conservation succeeds only when it creates income for those living closest to nature.
Make Nature Pay For Communities
- Do build market-driven, community-centered conservation models where nature generates business and income.
- Align ecosystem health with direct cash benefits so families protect and invest in landscapes.