Musonda Kapena has a wealth of 20 years of local and international experience with forest communities promoting indigenous knowledge systems towards sustainable management of forest resources and environmental justice. She is co-founder of the Namfumu Conservation Trust, an indigenous organization working in Zambia and around the world to champion the stewardship of indigenous people in sustainable management of the environment. This augments professional
qualifications in strategic management, forestry and natural resource management, environmental education, social and environmental safeguards, international studies, and diplomacy studies.

The passion for indigenous knowledge systems in forest conservation & natural resources with an emphasis on how women are custodians and stewards of indigenous knowledge and sustainable forest management inspires Musonda Kapena in Zambia. Namfumu Conservation Trust is supported through the good will of private benefactors and through earnings from consultancy work.

Musonda Kapena is a visionary conservationist and the founder of the Namfumu Conservation Trust, where she champions the vital link between indigenous heritage and environmental stewardship. A dynamic communicator, Musonda’s work is rooted in the belief that local communities hold the blueprint for sustainable futures.
 

Her influence as a thought leader is well-recognized: she took the stage as a TEDxLusaka 2023 speaker and has been a prominent voice at the Chifwema Arboretum, where she headlined the Spring Festival and led immersive sessions on indigenous knowledge systems for AISL students in 2024. Beyond the podium, Musonda is a practitioner of "living history," having guided specialized ethnobotany sessions in collaboration with the Women’s History Museum, where she honors the traditional botanical expertise of women.
 

Through the Namfumu Conservation Trust, Musonda continues to bridge the gap between ancestral wisdom and modern conservation, proving that our stories are our strongest tools for protecting the planet.