Prince Harry, African Parks, and a New Scrutiny of “Power Conservation” — What’s Alleged, What’s Acknowledged, and What’s Next
The conservation world is facing a reckoning—and Prince Harry is on the edge of it. In early October, Chad’s environment ministry abruptly terminated a 15-year partnership with African Parks, the high-profile NGO on whose board Harry serves, alleging financial impropriety, opaque practices, and a failure to involve local stakeholders. The ministry’s language was blistering, framing African Parks’ approach as carrying a “whiff of neocolonialism.” African Parks says it wants dialogue and points to years of investment and anti-poaching work. But the split has intensified questions about how global conservation power is exercised—and by whom. 0 African Parks isn’t obscure. Backed by major donors and now managing 20-plus protected areas across a dozen countries, it has been celebrated for wildlife recoveries and professionalized park management. Yet 2024–2025 brought serious human-rights allegations involving eco-guards at Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo. After ...