Richard Fynn is an associate professor at the Okavango Research Institute in Botswana. His areas of interest are rangeland ecology, wildlife ecology, and conservation science. Over the years he has published many scientific papers in these conservation fields. In this 4-minute video, Prof. Fynn discusses giving rural communities in Botswana the authority over their own natural resources and the right to sustainably utilize them. He contends that conservationists need to understand that conservation areas are not just ecological areas but rather socio-ecological systems which include local human communities.