Robert Wild is a nature conservation practitioner with over 25 years of experience of working with communities at protected areas in Africa, Caribbean, Asia and Europe. He has lived and worked in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and the Turks and Caicos Islands in the West Indies. His work has focused on supporting community-based conservation, governance and livelihoods at protected areas. He has long considered that the cultural dimension a missing ingredient in international development and was the chair of the IUCN Specialist Group on the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas from 2007-2012. Rob has a BSc in Ecology and an integrated social and natural science Master of Philosophy (University of Cape Town) in Botany. His most important education has however, been on the ground working with and listening to community elders and members and sharing their lives and aspirations. From the elders of the forests of East Africa he learnt about sacred natural sites and learned that many forgotten or ignored sacred natural sites surrounded him growing up in southern England. He lives with his family in the Scottish Borders.