Kerllen Costa

I spent the initial part of my childhood in the cockpit of a military helicopter, with my father, as he maneuvered his and our family’s way around one of the longest civil wars in the world. That meant moving through different parts of rural Angola.

Seeing all those incredible landscapes from the helicopter and interacting with so many people in the rural areas and in times of war, sparked my fascination to understand the essence of people’s traditions. And this interaction with different people from different parts of the country, their immeasurable knowledge and understanding, as well as profound connection with their land and their unique understanding of ecological systems, embedded in me this never ending curiosity to explore.

Angola is amongst the countries with the most variety of biomes in its territory. And one of the most beautiful countries in terms of its natural beauty. But what really makes Angola special is its people. And how our history of traditions, war, suffering and resilience have made the people be so connected to their roots.

My Ñgala Okola philosophy expands exploration beyond biological surveys to cultural documentation as equally vital scientific work. Recording elders’ oral histories, mapping ancestral routes, and archiving traditional medicine is rigorous field research—challenging hierarchies privileging Western methods. Some of my local collaborators were all former hunters, beekeepers, farmers, fishermen and healers and speak an array of different traditional languages—ensuring exploration serves local priorities.

I explore possibility itself, proving OECM designations can officially recognize traditional stewardship. Advocating for IUCN designations around Lisima’s source lakes represents exploratory diplomacy—navigating bureaucratic landscapes to secure protection through community rights rather than government decree. Having helped the government of Angola recognize some sites in the escarpment area also attests of local credibility and the recognition for embracing these new concepts that centre cultural and natural heritage as key for locally driven conservation of places only now being explored.

I am trying to fundamentally reframe human-nature relationships. Documenting the “ghost elephants”, war survivors who reveal themselves only to those understanding the land intimately, demonstrates that wildlife thrives through respectful and cultural coexistence

By documenting sacred lakes protected for centuries by belief in Mukisi (a mythical creature that embodies ancestral spirits), I prove traditional conservation often surpasses Western models. Mapping 21 previously secret sacred sites reveals sophisticated Indigenous land management systems maintaining biodiversity while supporting communities—challenging the paradigm that effective conservation requires separating people from ecosystems.