Balancing Africa’s economic growth, food security, and conservation using “Development by Design” 

Africa not only embodies a rich array of natural resources, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and diverse culture but also has some of the world’s fastest growing economies and populations. Many African leaders are grappling with how to chart a development path that blends conservation integrity and durability of ecosystems and the continent’s rich natural heritage with the means to provide food, water, shelter, and power for future generations. This presentation will describe a science-based spatial planning approach known as “Development by Design” (DbD).  I will demonstrate how the DbD approach, through smart planning, is empowering governments to achieve economic growth while prioritizing sustainable use of natural resources in Zambia and Kenya.

 Speaker Bio

 Dr. Anne Trainor is The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Smart Growth Director for the Africa Program. Currently, Anne is working in Zambia and Kenya to develop a landscape planning framework that will enhance biodiversity and ecosystem integrity while promoting a national economic development agenda. She has over 15 years of experience using state-of-the-art ecological modeling tools and analytical methods to extract ecologically relevant insights from large and complex geospatial data sets. Prior to joining TNC’s Africa Region, Anne was a NatureNet Science Fellow in School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, a M.S. in Wildlife Management and Conservation from Colorado State University and a B.S. in Ecology from University of New Hampshire.