This Ph.D. project examines the role of youth in environmental conservation from the meta-level of governance to the local/grassroots level. It draws on case studies from IUCN at the global level and the experiences of youth on the frontlines of conservation in the Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa. The aim of this project is to answer the question: 'How do young people engage with conservation structures from the global to the local level?

Youth engagement has become popular within conservation discussions as traditional practices have been criticized for being exclusionary and embedded in colonial ideals and practices. Environmental dialogues have now cast their gaze on youth, as the future of conservation. Yet, there is a lack of adequate literature that focuses on youth's importance in the sustainability of conservation and a fundamental analysis of their role. Therefore, it is important to understand how youth are engaging with conservation through governance and decision-making with environmental organizations. Secondly, to understand their engagement on the local level through conservation structures such as National Parks, which are contested spaces of access and have a history of excluding local community participation. This will help to bridge the gap in positioning youth as a demographic in conservation literature and practice. It will further, situate how youth have been described/defined/classified in literature in order to begin to establish "who they are" as a group.