From Military Sniper to Anti-Poaching, Vegan Conservationist with Damien Mander

Australian-born Damien is an Iraq war veteran who served as a Naval clearance diver and Special Operations sniper for Australia. In 2009 while traveling through Africa, he was inspired by the work of rangers and the plight of wildlife. Liquidating his life savings, the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) was established to be the last line of defense for nature. Over the past decade, the IAPF has scaled to train and support rangers which now help protect over 20 million acres of the African wilderness. In 2017 Damien founded ‘Akashinga - Nature Protected by Women’, an IAPF program that has already grown to over 240 employees with 8 nature reserves in the portfolio. They are the only group of nature reserves in the world to be protected by women. Their goal is to employ 1000 women by 2026, protecting a network of 20 nature reserves. He is the winner of the 2019 Winsome Constance Kindness Gold Medal, a prestigious international recognition for services to animals and humans. Past recipients include Sir David Attenborough and Dr. Jane Goodall. He was featured in The Game Changers by Academy Award-winning director James Cameron and has now released another documentary with Cameron and National Geographic about his work with the women of Akashinga. He is a resident speaker for National Geographic and was featured in their magazine in 2019, has spoken at the United Nations, appeared three times on 60 Minutes, and recognized by the Dutch Government as a Gender Champion. To hear bonus footage with Damian & Carly check out Patreon! Support the show Thanks for listening to another episode. Follow, review, and share to help Consciously Clueless grow! Shop my fav conscious brands. Click here for information on how to work with me. Join the conscious community on Patreon. Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Youtube | Tiktok Music by Matthew Baxley