 In Africa, the delicate balance that once sustained livelihoods and fostered human coexistence with nature has definitely been disrupted. Modernization, demands of foreign interests, and years of civil conflict with millions displaced, have taken its toll on the African environment. Western fascination with African biodiversity and wildlife has played an important role in the preservation of ecosystems. But the fact is that Africans were left out of the process; and the benefits of protected areas for indigenous populations were deliberately curtailed. This is why Mohamed Bakarr, a conservation biologist, speaks to his fellows Africans from the heart. He urges Africans not only to embrace but also play a central role in the creation and effective management of protected areas.