The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) started a Master of Natural Resource Management (Nature Conservation) programme in 2015 that was based on a relationship between the nature conservation programmes at the university and the biodiversity conservation sector in Namibia. This paved the way for establishing the new Biodiversity Research Centre (BRC), officially approved in 2019, that includes doctoral (PhD) and master's student research. Students who study through this centre must design and implement a research project, resulting in a master's or doctoral thesis. Many of these theses lead to peer-reviewed scientific articles, making them available to an international scientific audience. I believe that this programme has a critical role to play in Namibia's modern conservation landscape. Allow me to elaborate in classic lecturer fashion. It seems as if conservationists and park managers have forgotten an old conservation principle that their forebears once relied upon, like a grandma that was once heeded for advice, but is now all but forgotten as she languishes in an old age home. That principle is data driven decision-making, let's call her Granny Data for now. She is an unflappable, consistent and brutally honest voice in a sea of emotional and sometimes greedy conservation agendas.