Let’s Talk Purple Cows!
Dr Richard Milburn
Dr Richard Milburn is a Visiting Lecturer in War Studies at King’s College London, with a PhD in conservation in war zones. His research focuses on the links between wildlife conservation, security, peacebuilding and economic development, particularly in Africa.
He is also the UK representative for the Pole Pole Foundation, a gorilla conservation charity in Eastern Congo, and the founder of Tunza Games, which uses gamification to engage people in environmental issues while raising money for conservation projects worldwide.
He is also the Author of Killing the Trade, a book setting out creative solutions to solve the $20 Bn per year illegal wildlife trade.
Richard’s work applies behavioural science and “corkscrew thinking” to entrenched problems - using psychology and creativity to design new solutions where conventional approaches have failed.
Listen in to find out..
In this episode, Sarah talks to Richard about how behavioural science and creative problem-solving can unlock progress in both conservation and social value.
Richard explains the idea of the “purple cow” - standing out from the crowd with approaches that grab attention and inspire engagement. He shares why he sees conservation not as an environmental problem but a social one, highlighting projects such as tackling malnutrition in Congo through spirulina to reduce reliance on poaching.
He also introduces Conservation Crisis, his educational game that teaches children about managing national parks, financial literacy, and the importance of community-led solutions.
The conversation moves on to how this thinking can be applied to social value in the UK.
Richard outlines fresh ideas including:
Replacing CV-based recruitment with practical, challenge-based tasks.
Creating “back-to-work bonds” to incentivize agencies to support sustainable employment.
Linking recycling levies on cups and bottles to funding homelessness initiatives.
“If you apply behavioural science, you can come up with new solutions to problems that people previously thought were unsolvable and use that to drive progress.” – Dr Richard Milburn
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