Bridging the Gap: Storytelling as a Tool for Grassroots Conservation

What good is groundbreaking research if no one can understand it?

In conservation, where urgency meets complexity, the ability to clearly communicate science isn’t just a skill — it’s a necessity. Data may shape decisions, but it’s stories that move people to act. That’s why Grumeti Fund’s RISE (Research and Innovation for the Serengeti Ecosystem) facility, in collaboration with Leiden University, recently hosted an immersive Storytelling for Science workshop — a bold step towards empowering Tanzanian conservation scientists with the tools to make their work truly heard.

From April 28 to May 1 this year, ten emerging conservation scientists came together to explore how their research can do more than fill academic journals — it can spark dialogue, inform policy, and foster grassroots support. Through hands-on sessions, engaging group activities, and mentorship from experienced facilitators, participants dove into the art and science of storytelling: crafting relatable narratives, creating compelling visuals, and distilling complex findings into messages that resonate beyond academia.

This wasn’t just a workshop. It was about shifting paradigms.

“As scientists, we often speak only to each other,” said workshop facilitator and National Geographic Explorer Ghaamid Abdulbasat. “But if we want change — real, systemic change — we have to speak in ways the public can understand and connect with.”

And connection is exactly what this workshop fostered.

Storytelling for Science is driven by a deeper mission: to challenge who gets to tell the story of conservation in Africa. Too often, global narratives around African wildlife are shaped from the outside — by foreign media, international NGOs, or Western researchers. These portrayals frequently exclude the people who closely interact with and know these ecosystems best: local communities and African scientists themselves.

This workshop is helping to flip that script.

Launched in 2022 by ecologist and educator Emily Strange, who used her university teaching award to co-create this East Africa-focused initiative. “We wanted to create a space where conservationists could challenge dominant narratives,” she said. “A space where they could explore new ways to communicate their work — ways that are honest, grounded, and culturally resonant.”

By centering local voices, the workshop empowers Tanzanian scientists to share not just the “what” of their research, but the “why” — the relationships, values, and lived experiences that shape conservation on the ground.

In this workshop, participants learned hands-on tools—from audio recording and visual storytelling to ArcGIS StoryMaps and narrative framing—that allow them to share their work in creative and strategic ways. These skills are crucial for advocacy, education, community engagement, and policy influence. At the end of the workshop, each participant created and presented their own StoryMap, turning scientific findings into accessible digital narratives that highlight local knowledge, urgent challenges, and conservation successes.

“Local communities are at the center of our research and conservation efforts,” said Hillary Mrosso, a researcher from the Tanzania Research and Conservation Organization (TRCO). “By learning how to communicate science with them, it will make our work much easier.”

The ripple effects of this kind of training are powerful. When conservation scientists become great storytellers, their work becomes more accessible, more influential, and more impactful. Policymakers begin to listen. Communities begin to engage. Change begins to happen.

In a world where ecosystems are vanishing and biodiversity is under threat; storytelling might just be one of the most important tools we have.

Thanks to the commitment of our team, facilitators, and scientists who joined us in this journey, the story of Tanzania conservation is being told — more clearly, courageously, and in the voices of those who live it every day.