Terry Harnwell

Raised in Africa, Terry dedicated much of her life to supporting conservation across the continent. As co-founder of the African Conservation Foundation, she helped shape and guide conservation initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa from 2001 onwards, drawing on more than 30 years of management and communications experience in Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Terry was one of the visionary forces behind the creation of ACF. At a time when the concept of “locally led conservation” was not yet widely recognised, she understood a fundamental truth: lasting conservation can only succeed when the people, organisations, and institutions closest to the landscapes have the knowledge, capacity, resources, and support to lead their own efforts.

This belief became one of ACF’s founding principles and continues to guide our work today.

In the early years of ACF, Terry dedicated herself to building relationships with conservation authorities, organisations, and individuals across Africa. She helped establish partnerships with institutions including the Kenya Wildlife Service, Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania, Nature Kenya, and many others across East, Southern, Central, and West Africa.

For more than two decades, ACF has remained true to Terry’s vision: supporting African conservation organisations, community-led initiatives, and the dedicated people working on the front lines to protect threatened species and ecosystems. Through her wisdom, encouragement, and commitment, Terry helped strengthen the foundations of conservation efforts that continue to make a difference today.

Her greatest legacy lives in the people, organisations, and partnerships she helped nurture, and in the lasting impact of their work.

Those who had the privilege of knowing Terry will remember her compassion, generosity, humility, and quiet determination. She dedicated her life to bringing people together, empowering conservation leaders, and creating opportunities for people to protect Africa’s extraordinary natural heritage.

We are deeply grateful for Terry’s friendship, her vision, and her lifelong contribution to African conservation. Her spirit lives on in the people she inspired, the organisations she supported, and the landscapes and wildlife that continue to benefit from her dedication.