PJ Roberts

PJ grew up in Cape Town, surrounded by mountains, valleys, and ocean, which gave him a deep appreciation for the intrinsic value of nature from an early age. He completed a BSc Honours in Marine Biology at the University of Cape Town, before joining Wildlife ACT in 2016, fresh out of university and eager to make a difference. Six weeks after joining as a helping hand, he was asked to take on the monitoring project at uMkhuze Game Reserve, where he was trained and readied to contribute meaningfully to the conservation of Africa’s endangered wildlife.

PJ has since grown into his current role as Director of Nature & People, overseeing Wildlife ACT’s Community Conservation and Human-Wildlife Coexistence Programmes as part of the senior leadership team. Now based in Essex, UK, and armed with a MSc in Zoology from Rhodes Universit, yhe continues to oversee key elements of the organisation’s work across KwaZulu-Natal, ensuring field teams working daily in challenging circumstances across wildlife corridors and with local communities have the resources and support they need.

He works across Wildlife ACT’s priority species and key conservation landscapes, with a strong focus on strengthening partnerships beyond protected area boundaries. He is especially proud of having established Wildlife ACT’s Human-Wildlife Coexistence Programme, building partnerships that bring much-needed attention to the challenges of human-wildlife conflict.

Outside of work, PJ enjoys time in nature, photography, staying active through team sports, and good conversation by a fire. He also serves as an on-call firefighter with Essex County Fire & Rescue.

“I am fuelled by the discovery and expansion of knowledge within conservation, so as to strengthen conservation action with sound data and information.”