Jeff Muntifering, Save the Rhino Trust
Conservation Africa is a series of events organised by SwissAfrican Travel Service and the SwissAfrican Foundation. Individuals who make a major contribution to the protection of animals and the environment in Africa tell us about their on-site work!

Event:Conservation Africa
Focus:Rhino Conservation Namibia, Rhino Rangers Initiative
Guest:Dr. Jeff Muntifering, Conservation Biologist Minnesota Zoo, Science Adviser Save the Rhino Trust
Venue:Kaufleuten, Lounge, Pelikanstr. 18, Zürich
Datum:07 Mai 2018, 7pm

SwissAfrican invites you to an exciting evening in the Kaufleuten. Jeff Muntifering (Minnesota Zoo and Save the Rhino Trust) explains why rhino conservation in Namibia has been so successful and how the local population has been involved in defending the endangered rhinos.


Dr. Jeff Muntifering
Born and raised in Minnesota (USA), Dr. Jeff Muntifering has spent the last 15 years of his professional career designing and delivering applied research, training and community-based programs to advance conservation practice while living and working out of remote field stations around the world. Currently, his time is primarily spent between Namibia and China where his work with local communities, government and private sector tourism takes a multi-disciplinary approach to improve conservation efforts for two critically endangered species, the Black Rhino and Przewalski’s Horse.

In Namibia, Jeff has worked with Save the Rhino Trust, a highly respected local Namibian organization, since 2003. His applied research on rhino biology, ecology, eco-tourism and incentive-based, community-led approaches to rhino conservation over the past 15 years has helped inform a variety of innovative management policies including community-based monitoring programs, eco-tourism protocols and re-introduction strategies. He also co-founded and currently coordinates the Conservancy Rhino Ranger Incentive Program, a highly successful community-based rhino conservation program that has been showcased in multiple global case studies. Jeff has also spent significant time in China since 2001 where he works closely with the State Forestry Administration and Beijing Forestry University on high profile projects including South China tiger and Przewalski’s horse recovery efforts. Here he hopes to utilize his Namibia experience to advance science-based management, community-based monitoring and eco-tourism approaches in a Chinese context.

He has also conducted field research in Alaska, Canada, Minnesota, Ecuador, Honduras and South Africa primarily targeting large carnivore conservation and restoration. He has published more than a dozen scientific articles, book chapters, and has provided numerous presentations to both academic and general audiences.

He lives and works primarily out of a remote field camp in north-west Namibia known as World’s End with his wife Basilia and their 2 children.