A LIFE FOR THE WILD
My journey in conservation began nearly a decade ago in a riverbed in Tanzania. I was standing on the rocks beneath a waterfall deep inside a national park when elephants slowly emerged from the surrounding bush to drink. Time seemed to stand still. Watching them move so peacefully through the landscape, I felt something shift inside me. It was one of those moments that quietly changes the course of your life—a feeling of coming home to a place I hadn't known I had been searching for.
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That moment sparked a journey that has taken me across Eastern and Southern Africa, working alongside local communities, Indigenous leaders, scientists, conservation organisations, filmmakers and policymakers. Every landscape has taught me something different and every conversation has broadened my perspective, but one lesson has remained constant: conservation is as much about people as it is about wildlife. The two are deeply connected, and lasting conservation depends on understanding and strengthening that relationship.
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I’m fascinated by the human dimensions of conservation—what shapes the way we relate to nature, the values we hold, the choices we make, and how those choices influence the future of the places we care about. My work combines social and behavioural science with ecological evidence and traditional knowledge to better understand these dynamics and co-create conservation strategies grounded in both science and lived experience.
Much of my work has centred on building connections—between people and wildlife, livelihoods and landscapes, science and traditional knowledge, research and action. Along the way, I've helped restore wildlife corridors, strengthen Indigenous leadership, improve coexistence between people and predators, and support stories that inspire people to care for the places they call home. Behind every initiative is the same intention: to create conservation that is collaborative, guided by evidence, and meaningful for the people at its heart.
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Although much of my work happens behind a computer, the field is where I feel most alive. Some of my favourite days have been spent learning to navigate a traditional dugout canoe in the Okavango Delta, following the footsteps of a lion guardian on patrol in Ngorongoro, or sharing stories around the fire in the Namib Desert with the people who know these landscapes far better than I ever will. Those experiences continue to shape how I approach conservation—with curiosity, humility and a deep appreciation for the people and wildlife that make these places extraordinary.
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More than anything, I hope I never lose the sense of wonder that first brought me to that riverbed in Tanzania. It continues to remind me why this work matters—not only to protect extraordinary places and wildlife, but to honour the connections that make them worth protecting.
Mireia (Mia) Villalonga
CONNECTING FIELDS
The first job I got when I moved to Tanzania was in Public Health. During that period, I was trained by experts in Zambia and Bangladesh to lead a nationwide behavioural change programme that used my background in communications and enhanced it with social and behavioural sciences. Soon, I recognised the potential to apply these sciences to conservation—and so the journey began!
Later, on a trip to Manyara National Park I discovered the transformative power of storytelling through documentary filmmaking.​ From that trip came the opportunity to work on the Serengeti film—which followed in the footsteps of Hugo van Lawick’s Serengeti Diary and Bernhard Grzimek’s Serengeti Shall Not Die. That experience was a turning point, revealing how stories can influence perceptions and behaviours.
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Today, I draw on impact thinking and behavioural science to shape my conservation work and, whenever necessary, use storytelling as a tool to enhance behavioural change and protect our great wilderness.
