Dr. Briana Abrahms had the privilege to give a keynote speech at the International Parliamentary Roundtable on Human-Wildlife Coexistence (HWC) in Gaborone, Botswana on January 19, 2026. The roundtable included parliamentarians from Botswana, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Romania, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and Zambia. Her presentation provided a global overview of how and why climate change is increasing human-wildlife conflicts, and highlighted policies that tackle these challenges and support resilient, coexistence-based solutions.
For many years, human-wildlife coexistence has been one of the pressing issues for different countries across Africa, arising from climate change, land-use pressures, economic/tourism activity, governance gaps, or demographic change. In the recent period, it has also become a challenge in several European countries, often associated with rewilding programmes.
Parliamentarians in all regions face similar questions about balancing community livelihoods, environmental protection, and sustainable development. As representatives of citizens, Members of Parliament are uniquely positioned to translate local realities into effective national and regional responses, through supporting enabling policy and legislative frameworks, community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) and benefit-sharing initiatives. Other responses can include compensation and insurance schemes as well promoting technologies and innovations in Human-Wildlife Coexistence management.
Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Abrahms wrote “It was a career highlight to join parliamentarians across Africa, Asia, and Europe to discuss shared challenges in coexisting with wildlife and serve as a scientific expert for developing concrete policy recommendations for promoting human-wildlife coexistence.”
This international event brought together parliamentarians from 12 countries across multiple continents. It provided a platform for meaningful mutual exchange, including an opportunity for European participants to learn from African experiences and locally grounded approaches.
