African wildlife will not be protected through Western conservation approaches but through the involvement of local communities, says conservationist Margaret Jacobsohn. She said this last week following the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's (Cites) recent rejection of Namibia's proposal to be allowed to trade in ivory. "The only way to conserve is by letting all African countries care for our wildlife," said Jacobsohn. While she acknowledged that ivory trade is a complex issue, Jacobsohn said Namibia has strong conservation systems in place and is a global leader in both conservation and sustainable development. She pointed to Namibia's community-based natural resources management programme, which links conservation to job creation and poverty reduction. The model has spread across the continent, with countries such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania adopting similar approaches. "Some countries, especially the Europeans, are more concerned about animal rights instead of applying the concept of sustainable use so that wildlife and natural resources can benefit rural people in a sustainable way," she said. Jacobsohn said Western countries need to reassess their approach. "The West needs to look at themselves carefully and realise that armchair conservation of animal rights groups will not work in Africa," she said.