Meet your Lead Designer
Dr Jeff Muntifering, PhD
Born and raised in Minnesota (USA), Dr. Jeff Muntifering has been primarily based in Namibia since 1999 where he has served as Science Adviser to Save the Rhino Trust, a well-established local organization in Namibia, since 2003. His applied research has helped inform a variety of innovative conservation and management policies including community-based monitoring programs, rhino re-introduction strategies, behavior change campaigns and sustainable eco-tourism protocols including more than 25 scientific publications and book chapters. Jeff also coordinates a number of community-based projects in Namibia including the internationally renowned Conservancy Rhino Ranger Programme and the Rhino Pride Campaign which includes a suite of outreach and awareness initiatives ranging from Rhino Friends youth clubs to rhino-themed sports leagues. Recently, much of his time has targeted scaling up their community-led rhino conservation tourism model across Namibia as well as sharing the Namibian experience in China and Nepal on designing and delivering community-led conservation and tourism programmes.
Jeff is proud and privileged to affiliate with a number of amazing institutions and individuals around the world including serving as: an adjunct professor at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, a guest lecturer at the Beijing Forestry University, Science Adviser to Round River Conservation Studies, an active member of two IUCN Specialist Groups, and as a Conservation and Namibia Ambassador with the Transformational Travel Council (TTC). Graduating from TTC’s acclaimed Transformation Travel Designer course (and subsequently a return lecturer) played a major role in his decision to enter the travel industry as a verified Transformational Travel Designer.
Read some of Jeff’s insights on community-based conservation and conservation travel at the links below:
How black rhinos and local communities help each other in Namibia (Mongabay, January 2015)
My Wilderness Safari -Jeff Muntifering & the Desert Rhino Experience (thriveglobal.com) (Thrive Global, July 2018)
My wife Basilia and I enjoy sharing our work and travels with our amazing children, Kano (8) & Tema (5) who both spent their childhood years living in the bush!
