Prince William’s appearance at the 2026 Tusk Conservation Awards in London put a royal spotlight on African conservation, but the evening’s message extended beyond ceremony: the work being honoured is rooted in local communities, long-running field programmes and often dangerous frontline roles.

As Tusk’s patron for nearly 21 years, the Prince of Wales framed the awards as recognition for people confronting illegal wildlife trafficking alongside climate change and biodiversity loss. He said the winners’ work showed “determination, innovation and partnership” could help leave future generations “a healthier, more resilient natural world.”¹ His remarks also stressed the risks faced by rangers, noting that conservation progress can be reversed if protected species remain vulnerable to organised crime.¹

The ceremony honoured three practitioners whose work illustrates Tusk’s emphasis on conservation tied to livelihoods. Dr Colleen Begg, founder of Mozambique’s Niassa Carnivore Project, received the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa for work in a landscape larger than Switzerland. Raabia Hawa, who leads Kenya’s Ulinzi Africa Foundation, received the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa; her work addresses human-wildlife conflict and promotes women’s role in environmental protection.²

Daniel Yiankere, a security manager at Kenya’s Loisaba Conservancy, received the Wildlife Ranger Award. His three decades of work included helping restore black rhinos to the region and using conservation as a means of community peace-building.²

The two accounts converge on the value of the award recipients but place the emphasis differently. William focused on the global environmental threats and the need to protect those on the front line. Tusk’s account of the winners focused more closely on the practical local conditions that make conservation endure. As Tusk chief executive Charlie Mayhew put it, the awards recognise “the courage and determination of individuals who understand their local landscapes best.”²