Josephine Smit Conservationist

Josephine Smit is an IST alumnus who grew up in Tanzania and is currently Field Manager for Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP). At STEP she conducts research into the demography and behavior of elephants in Ruaha National Park and the effects of poaching on this population. She also studies the human-elephant interface, and works with people alongside protected areas to find means to achieve human-elephant coexistence.

Previously she studied Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, and her research interests have taken her from the coral reefs of the Turks and Caicos to the rain forests of Costa Rica. She also led a documentary film project, ‘Msitu Wetu,’ (meaning ‘Our Forest’ in Kiswahili) about community-based forest conservation in Tanzania in partnership with Tanzania Forest Conservation Group. When not in the field with elephants, she shares her love for Tanzania’s wild places on Twitter (@smitjosephine) and her blog.