One person’s attempted solution to the plummeting numbers of rhino across Africa, recognizing that rhino horn can be regularly harvested, was to farm these ancient beings to supply a demand for the (unproven efficacy of) medicinal horn products. The well-intentioned South African experiment did not successfully deter crime syndicates at the bottom of the poaching crisis. When that individual tried to sell his herd of 2000 southern white rhino, no one met his minimum bid.

The point of interdisciplinary teams in environmental analysis is recognizing the many valid perspectives representing different types of life and living, and how each merits its particular way to thrive. Phrasing it this way accepts a biological understanding of geochemical entities—yes, rivers are alive (Robert MacFarlane) and rocks with their elongated spans of life-cycle change (Marcia Bjornerud). These well-respected non-fiction authors recall modern readers to older indigenous concepts and kinships. In our analyses of present-day conservation challenges, we try to glimpse the fullest portrayal of reality that we can, rather than imagining any one perspective, or one set of needs, can speak for the whole.

The team at African Parks, an organization working across 13 countries and 23 protected areas, believed a more holistic option would be to re-wild these rhino, creating meta-populations in different places to lower the risk of extinction, despite ongoing problems with poachers. To that end, Akagera National Park in Rwanda this month accepted 70 rhino to join an original 30 who proved this habitat and these managers capable of sustaining them. At Akagera, people and conservation thrive side by side, with a mutually reinforcing vision for community betterment and healthy ecosystems. The rhino are key attractions in the park’s tourism strategy, with almost 50% of visitors from within Rwanda, and the park itself is nearing 100% self-sustainability from its cooperative income experiments. That long-term commitment factored in to Akagera being chosen to support more rhino, which further improve the functioning ecosystem. By including the perspective of rhino welfare, everyone wins.