Aché Beïne Ahmat had originally intended to become a midwife. However, having completed several years of studies in Chad’s capital city, N’Djamena, she was inspired instead to change direction. After seeking out a career in conservation, she is now an indispensable member of the African Parks Chad team.
The national park is only 80km from where she grew up, but at first, the wooded savannah and rocky hills seemed quite alien to her. "I admit that I really love my job and living in the bush," she explains. "At first, I didn't know what conservation was, and I had only seen animals on television.”
Making Connections
As a control room operator, Aché’s main responsibility is to act as a communications link between the teams in the field and the park headquarters. She records and passes on information such as wildlife sightings. In this way, her tasks mirror the role of Siniaka Minia National Park within the Greater Zakouma Functional Ecosystem (GEFZ), which also includes Zakouma National Park.
Siniaka Minia is now part of a large-scale protected area in southern Chad. It helps to connect protected areas and buffer zones used by migrating wildlife. Ongoing conservation and sustainable development efforts are enhancing the value of Siniaka Minia as a habitat, as well as promoting ecological connectivity across the region.
The importance of the Siniaka Minia wildlife reserve was recognised by its reclassification as a national park in 2024, with the Chadian government continuing the management mandate originally granted to African Parks in 2017 when Siniaka Minia was still classed as a reserve within the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem (GEZ).
Aché is very aware that the communications she enables will echo into the future – as she says, "Conserving nature today means guaranteeing a future for tomorrow's children."
Aché’s hopes for the future of the national park focus on promoting engagement with the many communities that live in the GFEZ. She sees the park playing a role in enabling access to clean water, education and healthcare. It can also create opportunities for sustainable livelihoods through market gardening.
Encouraging women to work in conservation
"The park concerns the community; it's everyone's business. Women can also work in the park and stay in the bush. This allows us to be in charge of ourselves and learn new things,” explains Aché. She believes that there is a real need to raise awareness among women in Chad of the opportunities that exist in community-supported conservation in Africa. She is also working to dispel some of the misconceptions about life in the bush.
Aché is determined to become even more effective at what she does by further developing her skills. The significance of her role extends beyond Siniaka Minia National Park, with Aché acting as an inspiration to other women in Chad who may not previously have considered a career in conservation.
04 November 2025