Laly Lichtenfeld Joins AbTF Board of Trustees
- Photo Info
- Download
- 2 additional media items
One document
Hamburg, 2025-05-07. The Aid by Trade Foundation is pleased to welcome Laly Lichtenfeld, an internationally renowned leader in community-driven nature conservation, to its board of trustees. After years of researching community-driven conservation, including as a Fulbright Scholar in 1996, she co-founded African People & Wildlife in 2005 with the aim of promoting peaceful coexistence between rural communities and wildlife such as lions and elephants. As an experienced National Geographic Explorer and a multiple award–winning speaker, she brings more than two decades of experience building partnerships that protect biodiversity and support rural communities across Tanzania and beyond.
A scientist by training and visionary by practice, Dr. Laly Lichtenfeld specialises in a holistic approach to conservation that accounts for regional differences and prioritises the intensive involvement of the people living in landscapes shared with wildlife. Having lived in Tanzania since 2000, she founded African People & Wildlife (APW) together with her husband in 2005. APW supports rural communities in protecting wildlife, conserving natural resources, and benefiting from conservation measures.
“As a committed and prominent conservationist, Dr. Lichtenfeld will be a great asset to our board of trustees,” says Tina Stridde, the managing director of the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), adding, “Reconciling the protection of nature and wildlife with the interests of the people living in the same area is a key concern for our foundation as well. Through her deep knowledge and great dedication, Dr. Lichtenfeld will enrich the work of the board of trustees.” “In Tanzania, we’ve built a conservation model that works because it puts local people first. The Aid by Trade Foundation shares that commitment, and I’m excited to help strengthen the link between livelihoods and sustainability,” emphasises Laly Lichtenfeld.
Dr. Lichtenfeld holds a PhD in social and wildlife ecology from Yale University. She received the Lowell Thomas Award for Open Space Conservation from the historic Explorers Club in 2016, and she was awarded a WINGS Women of Discovery Award for her contributions to conservation in 2019. Most recently, she was nominated for the prestigious Indianapolis Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of Animal Conservation.
Having now worked with 80 communities across Tanzania to preserve over three million acres of critical habitat, APW has made measurable contributions to the peaceful coexistence of humans and wildlife, particularly in landscapes home to endangered big cats and elephants. The organisation is particularly committed to empowering women to take on leadership roles in efforts for nature conservation and social change in rural areas. Young people are another priority, with thousands having already received an opportunity to participate in environmental education programmes, which aim to spur them to action and inspire the next generation to protect wildlife.
The Aid by Trade Foundation’s board of trustees is populated by an international group of leading figures from the public, private, and voluntary sectors. Chaired by the entrepreneur Prof. Dr Michael Otto, who founded the Aid by Trade Foundation in 2005, the board of trustees contributes to the long-term implementation of AbTF’s overarching goals: accelerating nature restoration and social justice for farming and herding communities by activating market forces.
Press Contact
Christina Ben Bella, e-mail: christina.benbella@abt-foundation.org Holger Diedrich, e-mail: holger.diedrich@abt-foundation.org
Aid by Trade Foundation | Gurlittstraße 14 | 20099 Hamburg | Germany
About the Aid by Trade Foundation
Founded by the entrepreneur Prof. Dr Michael Otto in 2005, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is an internationally renowned non-profit organisation that works throughout the world to promote sustainable raw materials. Its activities make a decisive and measurable contribution to improving the living conditions of people and animals while protecting the environment. AbTF takes a practical approach by creating and maintaining a variety of standards to verify raw materials: Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), Cotton made in Africa Organic (CmiA Organic), Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS), and The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS). A global alliance of textile companies and brands purchases the verified raw materials, paying a licensing fee to AbTF’s marketing company, ATAKORA Fördergesellschaft GmbH. The payment of this fee entitles partners to sell their goods under the standards’ labels. As the challenges facing textile companies and small-scale farmers grow, the standards have a major role to play in ensuring their resilience and future viability. AbTF collaborates closely with industry experts and with specialists in animal and nature protection. Learn more at: www.aidbytrade.org
.jpg.jpg)
