I'm a lion conservationist. Sounds cool, doesn't it?
我是名狮子保护人士。听起来很酷，不是吗？
Some people may have no idea what that means.
有些人对狮子保护人士完全没概念。
But I'm sure you've all heard about Cecil the lion. He roars no more.
但是我相信你们都听说过一头名叫塞西尔的狮子。然而，他不会再吼叫了。
On the second of July, 2015, his life was cut short when he was killed by a trophy hunter.
在2015年7月2号，他的生命在被战利品狩猎者射杀时戛然终止。
They say that you can become attached to the animals you study.
人们说你会对你研究的动物产生感情。
That was the case for me with Cecil the lion, having known him and studied him for three years in Hwange National Park.
我对狮子塞西尔就是这样，在万基国家公园，我了解并研究它长达三年。
I was heartbroken at his death.
我对它的死悲痛万分。
But the good thing to come out of this tragedy is the attention that the story brought towards the plight of threatened wild animals.
但是好的一面是这场悲剧给许多身陷囹圄的濒危动物带去了关注。
After Cecil's death, I began to ask myself these questions:
在塞西尔死后，我开始询问自己这些问题：
What if the community that lived next to Cecil the lion was involved in protecting him?
如果居住在狮子塞西尔周边的居民参与到保护它的行动中去会怎么样？
What if I had met Cecil when I was 10 years old, instead of 29?
如果我在10岁而不是29岁遇到了塞西尔会怎么样？
Could I or my classmates have changed his fate?
我或是我的同学会改变它的命运吗？
Many people are working to stop lions from disappearing,
许多人都致力于阻止狮子的消失，
but very few of these people are native to these countries or from the communities most affected.
但是很少有人来自当地国家，或是来自最受影响的群体。
But the communities that live with the lions are the ones best positioned to help lions the most.
但是和狮子共居的群体处于保护狮子的最佳位置。
Local people should be at the forefront of the solutions to the challenges facing their wildlife.
当地居民应当站在解决野生动物面临的挑战的前线。
Sometimes, change can only come when the people most affected and impacted take charge.
有时，只有当最受影响的人们负起责任，变革才会发生。
Local communities play an important role in fighting poaching and illegal wildlife trade,
当地团体要在抵抗盗猎和非法野生交易上扮演重要角色，
which are major threats affecting lions and other wildlife.
这是对狮群和其他野生动物的最主要威胁。
Being a black African woman in the sciences,
身为一名黑人女性科学家，
the people I meet are always curious to know if I've always wanted to be a conservationist,
我遇到的人们总是好奇知道我是不是一直都想成为保护人士，
because they don't meet a lot of conservationists who look like me.
因为他们没有遇到过很多像我一样的保护人士。
When I was growing up, I didn't even know that wildlife conservation was a career.
当我年少时，我甚至不知道野生动物保护者可以是个职业。
The first time I saw a wild animal in my home country was when I was 25 years old,
我第一次在我的家乡见到野生动物是我25岁的时候，
even though lions and African wild dogs lived just a few miles away from my home.
尽管狮子和非洲野狗就生活在离我家几英里的地方。

This is quite common in Zimbabwe, as many people are not exposed to wildlife, even though it's part of our heritage.
这在津巴布韦很常见，许多人都没有接触过野生动物，尽管这是我们的文化遗产。
When I was growing up, I didn't even know that lions lived in my backyard.
当我年少时，我甚至不知道狮子就生活在我家后院。
When I stepped into Savé Valley Conservancy on a cold winter morning 10 years ago
当我在10年前一个寒冷的冬天早晨踏入萨菲谷保护区，
to study African wild dogs for my master's research project,
去为我的硕士科研项目研究非洲野狗时，
I was mesmerized by the beauty and the tranquility that surrounded me.
我为围绕着我的美丽和宁静所着迷。
I felt like I had found my passion and my purpose in life.
我感觉我找到了人生的热情和目的所在。
I made a commitment that day that I was going to dedicate my life to protecting animals.
在那天我做了一个承诺，我要为保护动物奉献我的一生。
I think of my childhood school days in Zimbabwe and the other kids I was in school with.
我想起我在津巴布韦的小学时代，还有和我一起上学的其他孩子。
Perhaps if we had a chance to interact with wildlife, more of my classmates would be working alongside me now.
如果我们有机会接触野生动物，更多我的同学现在就会和我并肩工作。
Unless the local communities want to protect and coexist with wildlife, all conservation efforts might be in vain.
除非当地居民想要保护并和野生动物共存，否则所有的保护努力都会付之东流。
These are the communities that live with the wild animals in the same ecosystem and bear the cost of doing so.
这些居民和野生动物生活在同一个生态系统中，需要承担相应的责任。
If they don't have a direct connection or benefit from the animals, they have no reason to want to protect them.
如果他们没有和动物有直接的联系，或是从动物身上获益，他们就没有理由去保护动物。
And if local communities don't protect their wildlife, no amount of outside intervention will work.
如果当地居民都不保护他们的野生动物，任何外界的干预都不会有效。
So what needs to be done?
所以需要做些什么呢？
Conservationists must prioritize environmental education and help expand the community's skills to conserve their wildlife.
保护人士必须将环境教育摆在首位，并帮助民众发展保护野生动物的技能。
Schoolchildren and communities must be taken to national parks, so they get a chance to connect with the wildlife.
学校学生和居民必须被带到国家公园里，这样他们才有机会和野生动物建立联系。
At every effort and every level, conservation must include the economies of the people who share the land with the wild animals.
在各种努力和各个层级上，保护措施必须把那些和野生动物共享家园的人们的经济体纳入进来。
It is also critical that local conservationists be part of every conservation effort,
同样重要的是，让当地的保护人士成为各种保护行动的一部分，
if we are to build trust and really embed conservation into communities.
如果我们想要建立信任，并且真正将保护行动融入当地群体之中的话。
As local conservationists, we face many hurdles, from outright discrimination to barriers because of cultural norms.
作为当地保护人士，我们面临着许多障碍，从赤裸裸的歧视到文化规范造成的障碍。
But I will not give up my efforts to bring indigenous communities to this fight for the survival of our planet.
但是我不会放弃让当地居民融入到为地球生存而战的努力。
I'm asking you to come and stand together with me.
我呼吁你们和我并肩作战。
We must actively dismantle the hurdles we have created,
我们必须积极消除人类制造的阻碍，
which are leaving indigenous populations out of conservation efforts.
这些阻碍将本地人群排除在保护行动之外。
I've dedicated my life to protecting lions.
我将我的生命奉献给了保护狮子。
And I know my neighbor would, too, if only they knew the animals that lived next door to them. Thank you.
我知道，如果我的邻居了解和他们共居的动物，他们也会这么做。谢谢。