Luís dos Santos Namanha serves as Reserve General Manager at our Coutada 5 protected area in Mozambique, bringing more than 35 years of experience in wildlife management, protected area leadership, and conservation strategy. A retired Provincial Director for Tourism and former Chief Park Warden within the Mozambican government, Luís has played a central role in shaping the country’s conservation landscape since beginning his government service in 1995.

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Trained as a game ranger in South Africa in 1988 and a graduate in Wildlife Management from the Mweka African Wildlife College in Tanzania, Luís was a pioneer in implementing Mozambique’s community-based natural resource management programme, Tchuma Tchato, in Tete Province — helping to integrate conservation and socioeconomic development through government-community collaboration.

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Over the course of his career, he has held senior leadership roles across key conservation areas, including Bazaruto Archipelago National Park and Magoe National Park, and served as a landscape project manager with WWF in both regional and national capacities. He holds a Master’s degree in Socioeconomic and Development from the University of Natal, South Africa.

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After retiring from government in 2021, Luís joined Akashinga in 2023 as Operations Manager and was promoted to Reserve General Manager in 2024. He continues to provide strategic and technical leadership in biodiversity protection, with a strong focus on building local capacity and advancing sustainable, community-driven conservation models.