"Joyously hopeful and yet achingly sad...an excellent resource for schools to foster conservation efforts." Muna Ndulo, Dir., Berger Int.l Studies Program, Cornell Univ

Through community conservancies, the people in these communities protect wildlife and the region's wilderness heritage, return eco-tourism profits to local people, and generate sustainable livelihoods -- especially for women and girls.



Grade Level: 7 - 12, College, Adults
US Release Date: 2021     Copyright Date: 2020
DVD ISBN: 1-948745-57-7

Reviews "Mirra Bank's challenging film highlights the beauty of the region, its wildlife inhabitants, and the heroic efforts by several organizations and communities to thwart illegal trafficking...Superb photography, compelling narration...No Fear, No Favor makes a convincing case for protection of habitat, plants, and animals in Africa's wilderness areas. Recommended." Trudie Root, Video Librarian "Seeking to show a different perspective from the typical anti-poaching documentaries, No Fear, No Favor stands out from the crowd...Audiences can include college students and those preparing to work in related areas, including conservation and management of endangered species, community-based management of national parks, and development studies in Africa." Kristan Majors, Emory University, Educational Media Reviews Online "Joyously hopeful and yet achingly sad, the documentary shows us that there is no longer time to take conservation efforts slowly. No Fear, No Favor shows the horrors of poaching in graphic detail juxtaposed with resilience and love. It reminds us that effective conservation requires participation and ownership in the local communities. This is an excellent resource for schools to foster conservation efforts." Muna Ndulo, Professor, International and Comparative Law, Director, Berger International Studies Program, Cornell University "No Fear, No Favor introduces a range of causes and consequences of wildlife poaching for the global illegal wildlife trade, a conservation crime harming diverse wildlife species and human livelihoods. While profiling the wildlife, people and places touched by commercial poaching, the film spotlights the role of communities in driving sustainable solutions to the problem. I will show this film to my students, my parents, and my daughters so they may bear witness to one of the defining challenges of the Anthropocene." Meredith L. Gore, Associate Professor of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland "Kafue National Park is an international treasure: I saw my first lion kill 50 yards from my tent there. I also saw villages nearby where I thought the children would shortly die of malaria. How can we expect desperate families not to poach valuable wildlife? This powerful film explores these issues, their solutions - and the conservation heroes who make them work." Stuart Pimm, Professor of Conservation Ecology, Duke University, Founder and President, Saving Nature "A sensitive and compelling exploration of the terrible challenges that wildlife trafficking poses for conservation in Africa, and of the inspiring response by local communities who have banded together in conservancies to protect their wildlife heritage and secure livelihoods for their members. The film brings the scourge of illegal wildlife trade into vivid focus. Importantly, however, it gives equal weight to the human face of wildlife trafficking. No Fear, No Favor is a great resource for educators and activists, showing that illegal trade is inextricably intertwined with community economic needs. No solution that ignores local communities can be effective." Bob Dreher, former Senior Vice President, Defenders of Wildlife and Associate Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "The power of great storytelling about the places where we are active, like Zambia, is one of the important ways we build a global community of advocates." Bill Ulfelder, New York Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy "The film examines poaching from a very intimate point of view and from the perspective of the people who live where community and wilderness meet...Illuminating." Alli Patton, Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader "No Fear, No Favor provides a very insightful look into the poaching crisis in Africa and the illegal trafficking of wildlife products to consumer markets abroad. This is a skillfully produced and filmed video that objectively addresses the comprehensive range of issues related to Africa's illegal trade in wildlife including conflict animals, poverty, and consumerism. A valuable educational tool for students interested in wildlife conservation and conservation crimes." Greg Warchol, Professor of Criminal Justice, Northern Michigan University, Author, Exploiting the Wilderness: An Analysis of Wildlife Crime "This ultimately hopeful film portrays education and the creation of alternative income sources (tourism, conservation) as a sustainable way to protect animals." Maggie Knapp, School Library Journal "Using personal stories from both sides of the poaching crisis, No Fear No Favor offers an excellent basis for discussions of the fundamental causes of species loss. The documentary shows the ties between poverty and poaching and how local people are exploited by large wildlife trafficking syndicates. It demonstrates the underlying economic and political basis of the crisis and the critical lesson that conservation of local res