Serving as Director of Operations, Bastiaan Boon leads Akashinga’s operational strategy and protected area implementation across Africa. He brings two decades of experience in protected area management across some of Africa’s most ecologically significant landscapes. Dutch-born and raised across West Africa and Mozambique, his lifelong connection to the continent’s wild spaces has shaped his career in community-driven conservation.

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With 20 years of experience, Bastiaan has spent 15 years in senior management across various sites and industry leading organisations, including African Parks, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Gorongosa Restoration Project. Trained in Nature Conservation in Cape Town, Bastiaan is a systems-oriented leader with a focus on people-centered approaches to conservation. He has worked across Benin, Angola, Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, developing field operations that integrate local communities, ecological protection, and long-term sustainability.

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Currently based in Chester, UK, Bastiaan lives with his wife, Cat, and their two-year-old daughter — a future Akashinga. Bastiaan's family is at the heart of his world, and he remains deeply connected to the magnificent landscapes that inspire his commitment to protecting nature for future generations.