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</form>Text Content
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SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF CONSERVATION
EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LOCAL CONSERVATIONISTS.
WCN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The WCN Scholarship program was founded in 2006 to discover and nurture emerging
young conservationists so they can one day take up the fight for wildlife.
WCN scholars are the future of conservation. These students from Africa, Asia,
Eastern Europe, and Latin America are committed to working on wildlife
conservation in their home countries. They are forward thinkers and
out-of-the-box problem solvers, able to navigate the labyrinth of challenges
they face protecting endangered wildlife with courage, optimism, stamina, and a
nimbleness to adapt to constantly fluctuating political and cultural
landscapes—always keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
If you are an interested applicant, please email scholarship@wildnet.org for
more information. Note that you must be nominated by a pre-approved/eligible
nominator. The call for nominations will open in October of each year, and it
will NOT be listed publicly.
Support Our Scholars
LEARN ABOUT OUR SCHOLARSHIPS
*Conservation and Veterinary Scholarships are awarded to applicants from Africa,
Asia, Central/South America as well as individuals who are nationals of any
country NOT on the International Monetary Fund’s Advanced Economies List.
CONSERVATION SCHOLARSHIPS
WCN Conservation Scholarships are awarded to early-career conservationists from
Africa, Asia, Central/South America, and select other locations* to pursue
graduate education and applied training programs.
Find out more
VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIPS
Addressing a need for additional and experienced local wildlife veterinarians,
the WCN Veterinary Scholarship provides an opportunity for current and aspiring
in-country veterinarians to build their knowledge and skills to protect
endangered species.
Find out more
INDIGENOUS SCHOLARSHIPS (US-BASED)
The WCN Indigenous Scholarship Program funds graduate education and applied
training for candidates from Indigenous tribes within the United States pursuing
a career in conservation.
Find out more
CONSERVATION SCHOLARSHIPS
Conservation Scholars have career goals rooted in community-based conservation
and are dedicated to working in their home countries in the long term. Our
vision is that these scholarship recipients will become leaders in wildlife
conservation who will create a world in which wildlife and communities co-exist
and thrive.
VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIPS
The Veterinary Scholarship provides funding for graduate degrees and applied
veterinary training programs to candidates from Africa, Asia, Central/South
America, and select other locations* and is intended for candidates pursuing
veterinary careers that support community-based wildlife conservation and/or the
One Health approach.
INDIGENOUS SCHOLARSHIPS (US-BASED)
This opportunity is currently only open to individuals who self-identify as a
member of an Indigenous tribe and who are pursuing a program at a U.S.-based
institution. Our vision is for these Indigenous Scholars to become leaders in
wildlife conservation, working to steward their ancestral lands and protect the
wildlife who also call those lands home.
INDIGENOUS SCHOLARSHIPS (US-BASED)
The WCN Indigenous Scholarship Program funds graduate education and applied
training for candidates from Indigenous tribes within the United States pursuing
a career in conservation.
Find out more
CONSERVATION SCHOLARSHIPS
WCN Conservation Scholarships are awarded to early-career conservationists from
Africa, Asia, Central/South America, and select other locations* to pursue
graduate education and applied training programs.
Find out more
VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIPS
Addressing a need for additional and experienced local wildlife veterinarians,
the WCN Veterinary Scholarship provides an opportunity for current and aspiring
in-country veterinarians to build their knowledge and skills to protect
endangered species.
Find out more
INDIGENOUS SCHOLARSHIPS (US-BASED)
The WCN Indigenous Scholarship Program funds graduate education and applied
training for candidates from Indigenous tribes within the United States pursuing
a career in conservation.
Find out more
CONSERVATION SCHOLARSHIPS
WCN Conservation Scholarships are awarded to early-career conservationists from
Africa, Asia, Central/South America, and select other locations* to pursue
graduate education and applied training programs.
Find out more
VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIPS
Addressing a need for additional and experienced local wildlife veterinarians,
the WCN Veterinary Scholarship provides an opportunity for current and aspiring
in-country veterinarians to build their knowledge and skills to protect
endangered species.
Find out more
INDIGENOUS SCHOLARSHIPS (US-BASED)
The WCN Indigenous Scholarship Program funds graduate education and applied
training for candidates from Indigenous tribes within the United States pursuing
a career in conservation.
Find out more
CONSERVATION SCHOLARSHIPS
Conservation Scholars have career goals rooted in community-based conservation
and are dedicated to working in their home countries in the long term. Our
vision is that these scholarship recipients will become leaders in wildlife
conservation who will create a world in which wildlife and communities co-exist
and thrive.
VETERINARY SCHOLARSHIPS
The Veterinary Scholarship provides funding for graduate degrees and applied
veterinary training programs to candidates from Africa, Asia, Central/South
America, and select other locations* and is intended for candidates pursuing
veterinary careers that support community-based wildlife conservation and/or the
One Health approach.
INDIGENOUS SCHOLARSHIPS (US-BASED)
This opportunity is currently only open to individuals who self-identify as a
member of an Indigenous tribe and who are pursuing a program at a U.S.-based
institution. Our vision is for these Indigenous Scholars to become leaders in
wildlife conservation, working to steward their ancestral lands and protect the
wildlife who also call those lands home.
IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS
178
scholarships awarded
To date, we have awarded 178 scholarships across 47 countries.
30
scholars awarded in 2022
WCN awarded 23 standard-track scholars and 7 veterinary-track scholars
scholarships to scholars pursuing their education.
178
scholarships awarded
To date, we have awarded 178 scholarships across 47 countries.
30
scholars awarded in 2022
WCN awarded 23 standard-track scholars and 7 veterinary-track scholars
scholarships to scholars pursuing their education.
178
scholarships awarded
To date, we have awarded 178 scholarships across 47 countries.
30
scholars awarded in 2022
WCN awarded 23 standard-track scholars and 7 veterinary-track scholars
scholarships to scholars pursuing their education.
MEET OUR 2022 SCHOLARS
CAROLINE NKAMUNU PATITA
Giraffe
CAROLINE NKAMUNU PATITA
Caroline Nkamunu Patita is planning to use her scholarship to pursue an MPhil in
Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge. She is a Masaai
community leader, and she has already played a key role in creating innovative
programs to reduce and mitigate human-wildlife conflict, to support resilient
co-existence, and to combat climate change. After earning her degree, Caroline’s
goal is to create a network of Indigenous communities to build capacity to
access resources and technical support to improve community-based conservation,
livelihoods, and biodiversity protection through new financing models, such as
carbon credits. She intends to frame her work around the conservation of
giraffe, collecting data to inform the giraffe national conservation strategy.
She firmly believes that sharing incentives with communities will lead to
increasing land under conservation and in turn increase giraffe population and
slowing the rate of extinction. Nominated by Dr. Paula Kahumbu of WildlifeDirect
(Whitley Award recipient).
Awarded the Pat J. Miller Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of Cambridge
DANIEL SEMPEBWA
Chimpanzees
DANIEL SEMPEBWA
Daniel Sempebwa is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree
at the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague. His intended thesis topic will
focus on anthropogenic activities around chimpanzee habitats as stress factors
in the Albertine Rift region, and their role in the transmission of zoonotic
intestinal parasites among chimpanzees, humans, and livestock, through measuring
the helminth worm burden in chimpanzees. As a wildlife health professional, this
will provide more information on the risks of infectious diseases that pose a
significant and growing threat to the health, well-being, and long-term
viability of wild primate populations. After completing his degree, Daniel plans
to work to promote ecosystem health at the human-domestic wildlife interface
through, for example, broadening livestock treatment programs, expanding access
to vaccines for domestic animals, and developing policies for all chimpanzee
sites to adhere to health monitoring guidelines. Nominated by Paul Hatanga of
WCS Uganda – who was himself a 2020 WCN Scholarship recipient.
Awarded the Plum Foundation Vet Scholarship
Location: Uganda
University: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
DEVAVRAT PAWAR
Tigers
DEVAVRAT PAWAR
Devavrat Pawar will use his scholarship to complete his PhD at the University of
Wageningen in the Netherlands, which he began in 2020. With a particular focus
on tigers, Devavrat’s research investigates the mechanisms that enable ungulates
and large carnivores to successfully utilize resources within habitats that have
been disturbed by humans. Ultimately, this knowledge will help us better
understand co-adaptation of humans and large mammals, refine wildlife estimation
methodologies, highlight the importance of communities in wildlife conservation,
and contribute to strategic conservation planning. In the longer term, Devavrat
hopes to contribute to building conservation programs that help reconcile goals
of wildlife conservation and sustainable development. He plans to focus his work
in India’s human-dominated landscapes in the Terai (the foothills of the
Himalayas) and beyond, where several million people co-occur with or live in
proximity to wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Pranav Chanchani of WWFIndia.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: India
University: University of Wageningen in the Netherlands
ERIC NIYONKURU
Golden Monkeys
ERIC NIYONKURU
Eric Niyonkuru is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in
wildlife health and management through the Department of Clinical Studies at the
University of Nairobi. For his thesis topic, he plans to focus on the assessment
of respiratory infections in the population of endangered golden monkeys around
Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. After completing his degree, Eric aims to use
the skills and knowledge acquired during his program a) to monitor and manage
disease outbreaks among the wild animal population in and around Volcanoes
National Park; b) to contribute to the veterinary unit wildlife health and
treatment; c) to improve disease surveillance and carry out investigations on
relevant diseases; d) to establish a health database of primates, including
mountain gorillas and chimpanzees; e) to develop and implement park health and
safety policies, strategies, guidelines, regulations and procedures; f) to train
other wildlife veterinarians, interns, and students; g) to analyze research data
in and around national parks in Rwanda; and h) to provide scientific and
technical advice for orphaned primates and confiscated wildlife. Nominated by
Dr. Olivier Nsengimana of the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Rwanda
University: University of Nairobi
ESTHER NOSAZEOGIE
Seabirds
ESTHER NOSAZEOGIE
Esther Nosazeogie is planning to use her scholarship to undertake a PhD at Stony
Brook University. Esther has been the volunteer communications manager at
SMACON-Africa (Small Mammal Conservation Organization, who joined WCN at the
Fall 2021 Virtual Expo) and is currently a research officer at the Nigerian
Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research. For her doctoral studies, she
intends to study the feeding ecology of seabirds in the coastal and offshore
waters in Nigeria. She will then use this data to determine priority sites for
at-sea conservation of seabirds, especially the endangered Cape Gannet, as well
as to contribute to the sustainable management of local fisheries. She hopes to
engage local fishers as citizen scientists to collect data on Nigerian seabirds
– data for which has not been updated since the 1970s. Her goal is to work with
local coastal communities, policymakers, conservation nonprofits like BirdLife
to develop the first-ever action plan for the conservation of coastal/marine
birds in Nigeria, especially those species that are endangered. Nominated by Dr.
Iroro Tanshi of the University of Benin (Whitley Award winner).
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Nigeria
University: Stony Brook University
FRANCIS LOPEYOK CHARLES LENANTIRI
Northern Black Rhino and Elephant
FRANCIS LOPEYOK CHARLES LENANTIRI
Francis Lopeyok Charles Lenantiri plans to use his scholarship to pursue a
master’s degree at Kenyatta University, focusing on the influence of
community-based conservation on community empowerment and using the community
conservancies of northern Kenya as case studies. He was born and raised in the
Lekurruki community conservancy in northern Kenya and wants to work to drive
conservation forward as his community’s key economy and livelihood practice.
After completing his degree, Francis plans to continue to work for the Northern
Rangelands Trust to spearhead water programs across communities in northern and
eastern Kenya, with a focus on water for people, livestock, and wildlife,
especially the northern black rhino and elephant. His ultiamte goals will be to
develop functioning water infrastructure across member conservancies for
schools, clinics, villages, livestock, and wildlife, and to have functioning
conservancy water governance. Nominated by Dr. Kieran Avery of the Northern
Rangelands Trust (Tusk-supported conservationist).
Awarded the Handsel Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: Kenyatta University
GUADALUPE VERTA
Andean cat, southern viscacha, and cougar
GUADALUPE VERTA
Guadalupe Verta will use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of
California, Berkeley, focusing on developing approaches that integrate
biological and social science disciplines to answer questions related to human
wildlife coexistence and to the reduction of human impacts on ecosystems, such
as resource extraction, introduction of new species, and climate change. In
particular, she plans to explore the impact of fences on ungulate movement and
landscape connectivity, using ecological and social science tools for the
conservation of large mammals on private lands – which is especially critical in
Patagonia, where the vast majority of the land is privately owned – and
informing management decisions with interdisciplinary science. She will focus
her research on the Andean cat, southern viscacha, and cougar, though her work
will impact many wildlife species across Patagonia. Nominated by Dr. Andres
Novaro of WCS Argentina.
Awarded the Plum Foundation Scholarship
Location: Argentina
University: University of California, Berkeley
GUILHERME ALVARENGA
Jaguar
GUILHERME ALVARENGA
Guilherme Alvarenga will use his scholarship towards the completion of his
doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. He is working to develop the first
empirical landscape assessment of jaguar population connectivity across the
entire geographical range of the species, with the goals of a) producing a
large-scale analysis of jaguar habitat use throughout the species’ distribution,
determining what regions are and will be impacted by anthropogenic activities,
and b) at a local scale, characterizing human-carnivore interactions and
developing strategies to support the implementation of ecological corridors for
jaguars in partnership with local communities. He expects his PhD outcomes to
drive political and field-based conservation actions, and he aims to participate
actively in those, while also ensuring that local communities continue to have a
voice. Nominated by Dr. Carlos Durigan of WCS Brazil.
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: University of Oxford
HAMERE KELEMEWORK
Ethiopian wolves
HAMERE KELEMEWORK
Hamere Kelemework plans to use her scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
the University of Sassari in Italy. For her thesis, she will collaborate with
the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (WCN Partner) to analyze existing data
sets to find ways to improve the success of trapping Ethiopian wolves for
vaccination, health follow-up, and ongoing vaccination monitoring. She will
assess a) Ethiopian wolf captures and field immobilization, b) drivers of
trapping success, and c) trapability (by age, sex, and as affected by pack size
and territory size) in order to evaluate the safety of various methods, impact
on animal well-being, best practices, and to predict capture probabilities (by
age, sex, etc.) for planning disease interventions. In the longer term, as a
veterinarian and conservationist, her ambition is to see conservation
translocations and well-designed breeding programs put into action with
endangered species like Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf, Grevy’s zebra, Osgood’s
Ethiopian toad, and the Ethiopian amphibious rat. As a veterinarian, she plans
to help with animal health follow-up and genetic studies for designing smart
breeding modes, with the goal that no species go extinct in Ethiopia. Nominated
by Kumara Wakjira Gemeda, director of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation
Authority.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Ethiopian
University: University of Sassari in Italy
ISABELA MASCARENHAS
Buffy-tufted-ear marmoset
ISABELA MASCARENHAS
Isabela Mascarenhas plans to use her scholarship to pursue her PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Viçosa, focusing on developing plans for active
conservation management to protect the endangered buffy-tufted-ear marmoset. Her
research will establish a model based on IUCN guidelines for translocations and
reintroductions by identifying potential pathogens and associated risks present
in captive and wild populations of this species. The outcome of her study will
establish a disease risk and prevention protocol for the animals that are
candidates for release, considerations for zoonotic pathogens, and guidelines
for minimizing the risk of introducing new pathogens into the destination area.
She also hopes to reinforce the work of environmental education with the local
communities, where there is the potential for zoonotic disease transmission.
Nominated by Dr. Fabiano Melo, professor at the Federal University of Viçosa and
IUCN regional vice-chair for Brazil and Guianas of the Primate Specialist Group.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
KEVIN LUNZALU
Green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, and olive ridley sea turtles.
KEVIN LUNZALU
Kevin Lunzalu will use his scholarship to complete his master’s in Coastal
Science & Policy at UC Santa Cruz. His research is centered on the interlink
between marine pollution and sea turtle hatchling populations along the Kenyan
Coast. He is analyzing the impact of marine plastics on the nesting percentage
of three sea turtle species that have been documented to nest on Diani Beach, a
popular tourist destination in Kenya: green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles,
and olive ridley sea turtles. Recent studies point towards the fact that eggs
may represent the most vulnerable stage for sea turtles since their survival is
dependent on several external environmental factors, and increased accumulation
of microplastics in nesting sites could significantly reduce hatching success.
After completing his degree, Kevin plans to work with WCS, the Kwale County
government, beach management units, tourism companies, hoteliers, and local
communities on a long-term project to safeguard insitu nesting sites from
microplastics, marine debris, and other development-related stressors. Nominated
by Dr. Nyawira Muthiga, the director of WCS Kenya’s Marine Program.
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of California, Santa Cruz
LEANDRE MURHULA
Grauer’s Gorillas
LEANDRE MURHULA
Leandre Murhula plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the
Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain. He plans to focus his
research on the prevalence and disease risk assessment of tuberculosis in
Grauer’s Gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park using a One Health approach –
meaning he will look at the disease rates in gorillas (both habituated and
non-habituated), local livestock herds, and humans that live in the area. After
completing his master’s degree, Leandre plans to continue working with the
Centre de Recherche en Science Naturelles, Lwiro in their newly opened molecular
biology lab, using his new skills to continue to study tuberculosis and also to
open a line of research focused on the consumption of bushmeat and the risk of
emerging infectious diseases linked to great ape conservation. Nominated by Dr.
Deo Kujirakwinja of WCS’ Eastern DRC Program.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: DRC
University: Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain
LUCAS MENDES BARRETO
Giant Armadillo
LUCAS MENDES BARRETO
Lucas Mendes Barreto plans to use his scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, focusing on conservation of the
giant armadillo in the Atlantic Forest in the Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, Minas
Gerais, Brazil. He plans to examine strategies to maintain viable populations
and meta populations and to evaluate the consequences of isolation and
fragmentation of rare, large mammals that occur at low density, using the giant
armadillo as a case study. In the longer term, Lucas’ goal is to implement an
extensive ecological corridor, in partnership with local communities, between
the strips of habitat fragments of the Atlantic Forest to increase the carrying
capacity and ensure a viable population of giant armadillos and other wildlife.
Nominated by Dr. Arnaud Desbiez of the Wild Animal Conservation Institute
(Whitley Award recipient).
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil
MARÍA ELENA CARBAJAL
Andean bears and jaguars
MARÍA ELENA CARBAJAL
María Elena Carbajal will use her scholarship to complete her master’s in
sociology at the University of Barcelona. Her thesis project focuses on
analyzing the social and cultural habits that lead people to buy and sell wild
animals or their body parts, with a particular focus on Andean bears and
jaguars. Through qualitative interviews and ethnographic research in Peru’s
primary markets and hotspots of sale, she will identify the main demand trends
and propose social, communicative and legal strategies to reduce them. In
addition to generating scientific data, her goal is to produce and documentary
and accompanying website to reach and wider audience and encourage citizens
themselves to contribute to reducing this crime. Her longer term goal is to
understand the social dynamics behind the main environmental crises and illegal
activities in order to work to modify behaviors. Nominated by Dr. Mariana
Montoya of WCS Peru.
Awarded the WCN-WCS Joint Scholarship
Location: Peru
University: University of Barcelona
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Snow Leopard
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Muhammad Asif will be using his scholarship to pursue a master’s in statistical
ecology at University of St Andrews, focusing his research on snow leopard
population and conflict dynamics, with an aim to apply his knowledge to snow
leopard conservation in his hometown of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan through the
Snow Leopard Trust’s Pakistan Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program.
Pakistan itself has a dearth of conservation scientists, and without reliable
data on wildlife species, conservation is ineffective. This degree will allow
Asif to bridge the gap in his own knowledge between biology and statistics and
apply these skills to wildlife conservation in his home country, where it is
sorely needed. Following his degree, he plans to conduct robust population
estimates in his home region and to work with local communities on alternative
livelihood opportunities so there is less reliance on livestock for income
generation. Nominated by Dr. Charudutt Mishra of the International Snow Leopard
Trust (Whitley Award recipient).
Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship
Location: Pakistan
University: University of St Andrews
NELSON MWANGI GATHUKU
Elephant
NELSON MWANGI GATHUKU
Nelson Mwangi Gathuku will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at
Colorado State University. The focus of his dissertation is the drivers of
elephant space use in a changing landscape – he is looking at what factors
influence this (environmental, elephant herd structure, and human), with the
goal being to use that data to inform landscape planning, mitigate
human-elephant conflict, and ensure human-elephant coexistence across a changing
landscape in Kenya and a broader Africa. After finishing his doctoral program,
Nelson plans to continue working with Save the Elephants, using the findings
from his degree to implement the protection of key corridors and elephant use
areas across the ecosystem in cooperation with local governments and
communities. Nominated by Frank Pope of Save the Elephants.
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: Colorado State University
PALLABI CHAKRABORTY
Elephant
PALLABI CHAKRABORTY
Pallabi Chakraborty is planning to use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
University of Florida, focusing on understanding ecological and anthropogenic
drivers of human–elephant conflict in the Kodagu landscape of Karnataka, India,
with the goal of ultimately reducing the negative impacts of conflict on both
local communities and elephants. She plans to continue working in this landscape
after the completion of her degree, doing community-based conservation to
mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Her aim to to conduct conservation education,
training, and engagement activities for village leaders, coffee and tea estate
workers, farmers, school teachers, women, school children, and front-line forest
staff. She also hopes to be able to offer mental health counseling services to
those who have had traumatic and stressful encounters with elephants, in order
to help them recover. Nominated by Dr. Purnima Barman of Aaranyak (Whitley Award
recipient).
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: India
University: University of Florida
PRINCE PASCAL AGRO
White-bellied black-bellied pangolins
PRINCE PASCAL AGRO
Prince Pascal Agro is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He plans to focus his dissertation
on population dynamics and the use of local conservation agreements to conserve
populations and habitats of two pangolin species, the white-bellied pangolin and
the black-bellied pangolin, in the Asukese Forest in Ghana. Pascal has already
started his own NGO, Alliance for Pangolin Conservation, Ghana, and he plans to
use the results of his PhD to engage and encourage forest fringe communities to
collaboratively structure and adopt local conservation agreements (bylaws) to
address wildlife-related misconducts at the community level, and to work with
national and local wildlife authorities to develop and implement an action plan
for the species. Nominated by Prof. Edward Debrah Wiafe, PhD, of the University
of Environment and Sustainable Development in Ghana.
Awarded the Sydney Byers Scholarship
Location: Ghana
University: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
ROCHELLE MPHETLHE
Raptors
ROCHELLE MPHETLHE
Rochelle Mphetlhe will be using her scholarship to complete her master’s program
at the University of Cape Town. Her research aims to quantify the changes in
abundance of raptor species in northern Botswana in recent years, with a
particular focus on vultures, which are the most endangered of all raptor
species in Botswana. Threats to raptor species include scavenging on
poison-laced carcasses – both from farmers who poison carcasses of livestock
they have lost to predators, and from poachers who poison carcasses of species
such as elephants, to stop raptors from alerting wildlife authorities to their
illegal activities. Rochelle’s goals are to continue filling gaps in data and
knowledge related to raptor conservation, teach communities about the value of
raptors, and to work with farmers on non-lethal methods of dealing with
problematic predators. Nominated by Dr. Glyn Maude of Kalahari Research &
Conservation Botswana (Rufford Foundation funding recipient).
Awarded the Sydney Byers Scholarship
Location: Botswana
University: University of Cape Town
SALIZA AWANG BONO
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and Irrawaddy dolphin
SALIZA AWANG BONO
Saliza Awang Bono will use her Scholarship to complete her doctoral degree at
the University of Kyoto. Her research focuses on the acoustic ecology of small
cetaceans – specifically the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and
Irrawaddy dolphin – in northwest Peninsular Malaysia in relation to
environmental and anthropogenic pressures. Saliza plans to return to MareCet
after completing her PhD to develop a comprehensive conservation-based
bioacoustics program, which will investigate and explore how manmade noise
impacts marine animals. This information can then be used to address bycatch
issues and better protect these species. Saliza’s goal is to have noise
pollution recognized by the Malaysian government in the coming years as a threat
to marine mammals, and to have that drive policy change around boating
guidelines. She also plans to incorporate bioacoustic programming into MareCet’s
educational tours, giving more people exposure to this topic. Nominated by Dr.
Louisa Ponnampalam of MareCet.
Awarded the Plum Foundation Scholarship
Location: Malaysia
University: University of Kyoto
SAMUEL NJUKI MAHIGA
Mountain Bongo
SAMUEL NJUKI MAHIGA
Samuel Njuki Mahiga will be using his scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree at
the University of Nairobi, focusing on the seasonal dynamics in feeding and
ranging ecology of the critically endangered mountain bongo. After completing
his PhD, he plans to continue working with the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
to enhance community awareness and empowerment programs by collaborating with
community forest associations to develop nature-based socioeconomic livelihood
programs, like bee farming, fish farming and ecotourism. Njuki also plans to
continue running school outreach project to inspire and train the next
generation of wildlife conservationists by providing the opportunity for young
people to participate in activities to learn about protecting mountain bongos
and other wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Robert Aruho of the Mount Kenya Wildlife
Conservancy.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of Nairobi
SAMUNDRA AMBUHANG SUBBA
Snow leopard, wolf, and lynx
SAMUNDRA AMBUHANG SUBBA
Samundra Ambuhang Subba plans to use his scholarship towards a doctoral program
at the University of Newcastle, with a focus on large carnivore ecology –
specifically, the snow leopard, wolf, and lynx species in the western Himalayas
– and how these species a) interact with local communities and b) are impacted
by climate change. In the longer term, his goal is to continue working in the
conflict-prone and climate refuge hotspots of the western Himalayan landscape,
targeting highly exposed Indigenous/ marginalized communities. He hopes to
restore these crucial habitats by implementing early warning prevention systems,
awareness programs, predator-proof corrals, and introducing sustainable finance
and livestock insurance mechanisms. He also has ambitious plans to bring in
cutting-edge modern technologies like custom-built drones to facilitate wildlife
monitoring and conservation activities. Nominated by Dr. Ghana S. Gurung of WWF
Nepal.
Awarded the Pat J. Miller Scholarship
Location: Nepal
University: University of Newcastle
SINGIRA PARSAIS
African wild dogs
SINGIRA PARSAIS
Singira Parsais plans to use his scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at
the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, focusing his
thesis on assessing the population status and habitat use of African wild dogs
in Selous Game Reserve. Selous holds a significant population of the species;
however, the most recent study was conducted thirty years ago, and there has
been no recent update on the species’ population status and habitat use in the
ecosystem since then. Current data is essential to informing effective
conservation of the population – without it, wild dog populations may be led
into extinction without management awareness. After completing his degree,
Singira plans to continue working with the Tanzania Wildlife Management
Authority as head ecologist for Selous, using the results of his master’s degree
to better manage wild dogs and other wildlife, both in Selous and elsewhere in
Tanzania. Nominated by Dr. Amy Dickman, co-CEO of Lion Landscapes.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Tanzania
University: Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
SINOMAR FERREIRA DA FONSECA, JUNIOR
Yellow-spotted river turtle and red-rumped agouti
SINOMAR FERREIRA DA FONSECA, JUNIOR
Sinomar Ferreira da Fonseca, Junior will use his scholarship to complete his PhD
at the University of Florida. He is focusing on developing strategies to
mobilize Indigenous people to confront infrastructure projects in the Amazon and
the associated need for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). In the
Brazilian Amazon, Indigenous people have seen their lands and cultures
jeopardized for infrastructure projects that have moved forward without FPIC.
The result is the persistence of social inequalities and governance decisions
that threaten their territory and culture. After finishing his PhD, Sinomar
plans to pursue a participatory evaluation of conservation actions with the
local Parintintin people, to better address their conservation needs, including
income generation through tourism, engaging local aldeijas (villages), and
expanding agroforesty system and biodiversity monitoring. His work will focus on
the yellow-spotted river turtle and red-rumped agouti, which are considered both
protein sources and income sources. Both species are declining in areas
surrounding the Parintintin aldeias. Nominated by Dr. Ricardo Assis Mello of WWF
Brazil.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: University of Florida
SOPHIA JINGO
Human-wildlife conflct
SOPHIA JINGO
Sophia Jingo will use her scholarship to complete her master’s degree at
Makerere University. She is focusing on understanding poacher decision making
and the impact of community-based intervention on human-wildlife interaction
around Murchison Falls National Park. Subsistence poaching is the main type of
poaching in this landscape, carried out with locally available materials such as
spears, wheel traps, snares and pitfall traps. Though set to catch herbivores,
snares are indiscriminate, and other species, often lions, can be trapped and
killed. After completing her degree, Sophia plans to work with key partners such
as the Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Geographic, and the European Union to
formulate a master plan for addressing subsistence poaching at a national level
and reduce local people’s reliance on poaching by providing alternative
livelihoods. Nominated by Dr. Tutilo Mudumba, co-director of the Snares to Wares
initiative (Rufford Foundation funding recipient) and himself a former WCN
Scholar (2016).
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Uganda
University: Makerere University
SURAJ BARAL
Mugger crocodile
SURAJ BARAL
Suraj Baral will be using his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of
Bonn in Germany. He is planning to focus his studies on quantifying the
functional connectivity of the mugger crocodile across the Terai-Arc Landscape
in Nepal. After completing his degree, Suraj plans to return to working at
Resources Himalaya Foundation to strengthen the corridors identified during his
doctoral research. This will include identifying areas of conflict and
addressing causes in the corridors, conducting public outreach programs focused
on conservation of the species and the ecosystem, and corridor restoration for
crocodile basking and breeding, with public participation. Suraj firmly believes
that wildlife conservation is only possible through active community
participation backed up by scientific data. Nominated by Dr. Kanchan Thapa of
WWF Nepal.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Nepal
University: University of Bonn in Germany
TOBIAS OTIENO
Lions
TOBIAS OTIENO
Tobias Otieno is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the
University of York. He plans to focus on the impact of infrastructure on lions
and people in northern Kenya, highlighting three key themes: 1) describing the
lion structure within the community landscape unique to northern Kenya and the
Samburu culture; 2) looking at the impact that infrastructure (both large and
small scale) will have on lion movements; and 3) through a unique scenario
framework tool developed by the University of York (KESHO tool), working towards
understanding the impact that the changing landscape will have on people and
their culture using a participatory approach and future modeling. Toby plans to
continue working with Ewaso Lions after completing his degree to put the results
of his doctoral degree into practice, as well as to encourage other young
Kenyans to pursue conservation as a career. Nominated by Dr. Shivani Bhalla of
Ewaso Lions.
Awarded the Handsel Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of York
THEOPHILE KILUBA WA KILUBA
Great apes
THEOPHILE KILUBA WA KILUBA
Theophile Kiluba Wa Kiluba plans to use his scholarship to complete an applied
training course on techniques to diagnose respiratory disease in great apes at
the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands. After completing this
training, Theophile’s aim is to contribute to reducing the risks of emergence,
transmission, and spread of emerging infectious zoonotic diseases while
implementing a surveillance system for wildlife diseases looking at the
wildlife-livestock-human interface (i.e. a One Health approach). He will focus
his efforts around Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the DRC and other protected
areas regionally and hopes to contribute to raising awareness in local
communities related to the risk of diseases, with particular attention paid to
those related to bushmeat consumption. Nominated by Luis Flores Giron, head
veterinarian and capacity-building manager at the Centre de Rehabilitation des
Primates du Lwiro.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: DRC
University: Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
Infectious diseases
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
Ulaankhuu Ankhanbaatar will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at the
Mongolian State University of Life Sciences. Through his research, he is
exploring the role that infectious diseases play in species extinction. In 2019,
the first outbreak of African Swine Fever was recorded in Mongolia, infecting
wild boars – Ulaankhuu is specifically investigating the molecular
characterization and identification of the strain of this virus isolated in
Mongolia. During his PhD studies, he is working to learn new techniques and
assays on how to detect African Swine Fever in domestic and wild pigs and to
understand the routes of disease transmission so that he can provide training
and awareness to local people and professionals, including rangers and other
veterinarians, on how to prevent livestock disease spill over to wild
populations. He hopes to use the knowledge and experience gained during his PhD
to act as a key virology veterinarian who can respond to wildlife disease and
virus outbreaks in his country. Nominated by Dr. Enkhtuvshin Shiilegdamba of WCS
Mongolia.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Mongolia
University: Mongolian State University of Life Sciences
ZABLON FATAELY
Elephants
ZABLON FATAELY
Zablon Fataely plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
Sokoine University of Agriculture. He plans to focus his thesis on assessing the
contribution of the alternative sources of income on reducing human-
elephant conflict to local communities living adjacent to the protected areas
with the case of the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem in southern Tanzania, and then to
continue working with Wildlife Connection after completing his degree to improve
their existing alternative livelihoods program. Zablon also hopes to work to
improve conservation education in Tanzania in both primary and secondary
schools. His goal is to advocate for and engage government authorities on
updating the national curriculum to include conservation. Nominated by Sarah
Maisonneuve, executive director of Wildlife Connection.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Tanzania
University: Sokoine University of Agriculture
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
Ulaankhuu Ankhanbaatar will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at the
Mongolian State University of Life Sciences. Through his research, he is
exploring the role that infectious diseases play...
Find out more
ZABLON FATAELY
ZABLON FATAELY
Zablon Fataely plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
Sokoine University of Agriculture. He plans to focus his thesis on assessing the
contribution of the alternative...
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CAROLINE NKAMUNU PATITA
CAROLINE NKAMUNU PATITA
Caroline Nkamunu Patita is planning to use her scholarship to pursue an MPhil in
Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge. She is a Masaai
community leader, and she has...
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DANIEL SEMPEBWA
DANIEL SEMPEBWA
Daniel Sempebwa is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree
at the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague. His intended thesis topic will
focus on anthropogenic activities...
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DEVAVRAT PAWAR
DEVAVRAT PAWAR
Devavrat Pawar will use his scholarship to complete his PhD at the University of
Wageningen in the Netherlands, which he began in 2020. With a particular focus
on tigers, Devavrat’s...
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ERIC NIYONKURU
ERIC NIYONKURU
Eric Niyonkuru is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in
wildlife health and management through the Department of Clinical Studies at the
University of Nairobi. For...
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ESTHER NOSAZEOGIE
ESTHER NOSAZEOGIE
Esther Nosazeogie is planning to use her scholarship to undertake a PhD at Stony
Brook University. Esther has been the volunteer communications manager at
SMACON-Africa (Small Mammal Conservation Organization, who...
Find out more
FRANCIS LOPEYOK CHARLES LENANTIRI
FRANCIS LOPEYOK CHARLES LENANTIRI
Francis Lopeyok Charles Lenantiri plans to use his scholarship to pursue a
master’s degree at Kenyatta University, focusing on the influence of
community-based conservation on community empowerment and using the...
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GUADALUPE VERTA
GUADALUPE VERTA
Guadalupe Verta will use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of
California, Berkeley, focusing on developing approaches that integrate
biological and social science disciplines to answer questions...
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GUILHERME ALVARENGA
GUILHERME ALVARENGA
Guilherme Alvarenga will use his scholarship towards the completion of his
doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. He is working to develop the first
empirical landscape assessment of jaguar...
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HAMERE KELEMEWORK
HAMERE KELEMEWORK
Hamere Kelemework plans to use her scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
the University of Sassari in Italy. For her thesis, she will collaborate with
the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation...
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ISABELA MASCARENHAS
ISABELA MASCARENHAS
Isabela Mascarenhas plans to use her scholarship to pursue her PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Viçosa, focusing on developing plans for active
conservation management to protect the endangered buffy-tufted-ear...
Find out more
KEVIN LUNZALU
KEVIN LUNZALU
Kevin Lunzalu will use his scholarship to complete his master’s in Coastal
Science & Policy at UC Santa Cruz. His research is centered on the interlink
between marine pollution and...
Find out more
LEANDRE MURHULA
LEANDRE MURHULA
Leandre Murhula plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the
Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain. He plans to focus his
research on the prevalence...
Find out more
LUCAS MENDES BARRETO
LUCAS MENDES BARRETO
Lucas Mendes Barreto plans to use his scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, focusing on conservation of the
giant armadillo in the...
Find out more
MARÍA ELENA CARBAJAL
MARÍA ELENA CARBAJAL
María Elena Carbajal will use her scholarship to complete her master’s in
sociology at the University of Barcelona. Her thesis project focuses on
analyzing the social and cultural habits that lead...
Find out more
MUHAMMAD ASIF
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Muhammad Asif will be using his scholarship to pursue a master’s in statistical
ecology at University of St Andrews, focusing his research on snow leopard
population and conflict dynamics, with...
Find out more
NELSON MWANGI GATHUKU
NELSON MWANGI GATHUKU
Nelson Mwangi Gathuku will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at
Colorado State University. The focus of his dissertation is the drivers of
elephant space use in a changing...
Find out more
PALLABI CHAKRABORTY
PALLABI CHAKRABORTY
Pallabi Chakraborty is planning to use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
University of Florida, focusing on understanding ecological and anthropogenic
drivers of human–elephant conflict in the Kodagu landscape...
Find out more
PRINCE PASCAL AGRO
PRINCE PASCAL AGRO
Prince Pascal Agro is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He plans to focus his dissertation
on population dynamics...
Find out more
ROCHELLE MPHETLHE
ROCHELLE MPHETLHE
Rochelle Mphetlhe will be using her scholarship to complete her master’s program
at the University of Cape Town. Her research aims to quantify the changes in
abundance of raptor species...
Find out more
SALIZA AWANG BONO
SALIZA AWANG BONO
Saliza Awang Bono will use her Scholarship to complete her doctoral degree at
the University of Kyoto. Her research focuses on the acoustic ecology of small
cetaceans – specifically the...
Find out more
SAMUEL NJUKI MAHIGA
SAMUEL NJUKI MAHIGA
Samuel Njuki Mahiga will be using his scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree at
the University of Nairobi, focusing on the seasonal dynamics in feeding and
ranging ecology of the...
Find out more
SAMUNDRA AMBUHANG SUBBA
SAMUNDRA AMBUHANG SUBBA
Samundra Ambuhang Subba plans to use his scholarship towards a doctoral program
at the University of Newcastle, with a focus on large carnivore ecology –
specifically, the snow leopard, wolf,...
Find out more
SINGIRA PARSAIS
SINGIRA PARSAIS
Singira Parsais plans to use his scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at
the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, focusing his
thesis on assessing the population status...
Find out more
SINOMAR FERREIRA DA FONSECA, JUNIOR
SINOMAR FERREIRA DA FONSECA, JUNIOR
Sinomar Ferreira da Fonseca, Junior will use his scholarship to complete his PhD
at the University of Florida. He is focusing on developing strategies to
mobilize Indigenous people to confront...
Find out more
SOPHIA JINGO
SOPHIA JINGO
Sophia Jingo will use her scholarship to complete her master’s degree at
Makerere University. She is focusing on understanding poacher decision making
and the impact of community-based intervention on human-wildlife...
Find out more
SURAJ BARAL
SURAJ BARAL
Suraj Baral will be using his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of
Bonn in Germany. He is planning to focus his studies on quantifying the
functional connectivity...
Find out more
TOBIAS OTIENO
TOBIAS OTIENO
Tobias Otieno is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the
University of York. He plans to focus on the impact of infrastructure on lions
and people in...
Find out more
THEOPHILE KILUBA WA KILUBA
THEOPHILE KILUBA WA KILUBA
Theophile Kiluba Wa Kiluba plans to use his scholarship to complete an applied
training course on techniques to diagnose respiratory disease in great apes at
the Biomedical Primate Research Centre...
Find out more
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
Ulaankhuu Ankhanbaatar will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at the
Mongolian State University of Life Sciences. Through his research, he is
exploring the role that infectious diseases play...
Find out more
ZABLON FATAELY
ZABLON FATAELY
Zablon Fataely plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
Sokoine University of Agriculture. He plans to focus his thesis on assessing the
contribution of the alternative...
Find out more
CAROLINE NKAMUNU PATITA
CAROLINE NKAMUNU PATITA
Caroline Nkamunu Patita is planning to use her scholarship to pursue an MPhil in
Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge. She is a Masaai
community leader, and she has...
Find out more
DANIEL SEMPEBWA
DANIEL SEMPEBWA
Daniel Sempebwa is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree
at the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague. His intended thesis topic will
focus on anthropogenic activities...
Find out more
DEVAVRAT PAWAR
DEVAVRAT PAWAR
Devavrat Pawar will use his scholarship to complete his PhD at the University of
Wageningen in the Netherlands, which he began in 2020. With a particular focus
on tigers, Devavrat’s...
Find out more
ERIC NIYONKURU
ERIC NIYONKURU
Eric Niyonkuru is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in
wildlife health and management through the Department of Clinical Studies at the
University of Nairobi. For...
Find out more
ESTHER NOSAZEOGIE
ESTHER NOSAZEOGIE
Esther Nosazeogie is planning to use her scholarship to undertake a PhD at Stony
Brook University. Esther has been the volunteer communications manager at
SMACON-Africa (Small Mammal Conservation Organization, who...
Find out more
FRANCIS LOPEYOK CHARLES LENANTIRI
FRANCIS LOPEYOK CHARLES LENANTIRI
Francis Lopeyok Charles Lenantiri plans to use his scholarship to pursue a
master’s degree at Kenyatta University, focusing on the influence of
community-based conservation on community empowerment and using the...
Find out more
GUADALUPE VERTA
GUADALUPE VERTA
Guadalupe Verta will use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of
California, Berkeley, focusing on developing approaches that integrate
biological and social science disciplines to answer questions...
Find out more
GUILHERME ALVARENGA
GUILHERME ALVARENGA
Guilherme Alvarenga will use his scholarship towards the completion of his
doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. He is working to develop the first
empirical landscape assessment of jaguar...
Find out more
HAMERE KELEMEWORK
HAMERE KELEMEWORK
Hamere Kelemework plans to use her scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
the University of Sassari in Italy. For her thesis, she will collaborate with
the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation...
Find out more
ISABELA MASCARENHAS
ISABELA MASCARENHAS
Isabela Mascarenhas plans to use her scholarship to pursue her PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Viçosa, focusing on developing plans for active
conservation management to protect the endangered buffy-tufted-ear...
Find out more
KEVIN LUNZALU
KEVIN LUNZALU
Kevin Lunzalu will use his scholarship to complete his master’s in Coastal
Science & Policy at UC Santa Cruz. His research is centered on the interlink
between marine pollution and...
Find out more
LEANDRE MURHULA
LEANDRE MURHULA
Leandre Murhula plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the
Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain. He plans to focus his
research on the prevalence...
Find out more
LUCAS MENDES BARRETO
LUCAS MENDES BARRETO
Lucas Mendes Barreto plans to use his scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, focusing on conservation of the
giant armadillo in the...
Find out more
MARÍA ELENA CARBAJAL
MARÍA ELENA CARBAJAL
María Elena Carbajal will use her scholarship to complete her master’s in
sociology at the University of Barcelona. Her thesis project focuses on
analyzing the social and cultural habits that lead...
Find out more
MUHAMMAD ASIF
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Muhammad Asif will be using his scholarship to pursue a master’s in statistical
ecology at University of St Andrews, focusing his research on snow leopard
population and conflict dynamics, with...
Find out more
NELSON MWANGI GATHUKU
NELSON MWANGI GATHUKU
Nelson Mwangi Gathuku will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at
Colorado State University. The focus of his dissertation is the drivers of
elephant space use in a changing...
Find out more
PALLABI CHAKRABORTY
PALLABI CHAKRABORTY
Pallabi Chakraborty is planning to use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
University of Florida, focusing on understanding ecological and anthropogenic
drivers of human–elephant conflict in the Kodagu landscape...
Find out more
PRINCE PASCAL AGRO
PRINCE PASCAL AGRO
Prince Pascal Agro is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He plans to focus his dissertation
on population dynamics...
Find out more
ROCHELLE MPHETLHE
ROCHELLE MPHETLHE
Rochelle Mphetlhe will be using her scholarship to complete her master’s program
at the University of Cape Town. Her research aims to quantify the changes in
abundance of raptor species...
Find out more
SALIZA AWANG BONO
SALIZA AWANG BONO
Saliza Awang Bono will use her Scholarship to complete her doctoral degree at
the University of Kyoto. Her research focuses on the acoustic ecology of small
cetaceans – specifically the...
Find out more
SAMUEL NJUKI MAHIGA
SAMUEL NJUKI MAHIGA
Samuel Njuki Mahiga will be using his scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree at
the University of Nairobi, focusing on the seasonal dynamics in feeding and
ranging ecology of the...
Find out more
SAMUNDRA AMBUHANG SUBBA
SAMUNDRA AMBUHANG SUBBA
Samundra Ambuhang Subba plans to use his scholarship towards a doctoral program
at the University of Newcastle, with a focus on large carnivore ecology –
specifically, the snow leopard, wolf,...
Find out more
SINGIRA PARSAIS
SINGIRA PARSAIS
Singira Parsais plans to use his scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at
the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, focusing his
thesis on assessing the population status...
Find out more
SINOMAR FERREIRA DA FONSECA, JUNIOR
SINOMAR FERREIRA DA FONSECA, JUNIOR
Sinomar Ferreira da Fonseca, Junior will use his scholarship to complete his PhD
at the University of Florida. He is focusing on developing strategies to
mobilize Indigenous people to confront...
Find out more
SOPHIA JINGO
SOPHIA JINGO
Sophia Jingo will use her scholarship to complete her master’s degree at
Makerere University. She is focusing on understanding poacher decision making
and the impact of community-based intervention on human-wildlife...
Find out more
SURAJ BARAL
SURAJ BARAL
Suraj Baral will be using his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of
Bonn in Germany. He is planning to focus his studies on quantifying the
functional connectivity...
Find out more
TOBIAS OTIENO
TOBIAS OTIENO
Tobias Otieno is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the
University of York. He plans to focus on the impact of infrastructure on lions
and people in...
Find out more
THEOPHILE KILUBA WA KILUBA
THEOPHILE KILUBA WA KILUBA
Theophile Kiluba Wa Kiluba plans to use his scholarship to complete an applied
training course on techniques to diagnose respiratory disease in great apes at
the Biomedical Primate Research Centre...
Find out more
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
Ulaankhuu Ankhanbaatar will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at the
Mongolian State University of Life Sciences. Through his research, he is
exploring the role that infectious diseases play...
Find out more
ZABLON FATAELY
ZABLON FATAELY
Zablon Fataely plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
Sokoine University of Agriculture. He plans to focus his thesis on assessing the
contribution of the alternative...
Find out more
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CAROLINE NKAMUNU PATITA
Caroline Nkamunu Patita is planning to use her scholarship to pursue an MPhil in
Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge. She is a Masaai
community leader, and she has already played a key role in creating innovative
programs to reduce and mitigate human-wildlife conflict, to support resilient
co-existence, and to combat climate change. After earning her degree, Caroline’s
goal is to create a network of Indigenous communities to build capacity to
access resources and technical support to improve community-based conservation,
livelihoods, and biodiversity protection through new financing models, such as
carbon credits. She intends to frame her work around the conservation of
giraffe, collecting data to inform the giraffe national conservation strategy.
She firmly believes that sharing incentives with communities will lead to
increasing land under conservation and in turn increase giraffe population and
slowing the rate of extinction. Nominated by Dr. Paula Kahumbu of WildlifeDirect
(Whitley Award recipient).
Awarded the Pat J. Miller Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of Cambridge
DANIEL SEMPEBWA
Daniel Sempebwa is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree
at the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague. His intended thesis topic will
focus on anthropogenic activities around chimpanzee habitats as stress factors
in the Albertine Rift region, and their role in the transmission of zoonotic
intestinal parasites among chimpanzees, humans, and livestock, through measuring
the helminth worm burden in chimpanzees. As a wildlife health professional, this
will provide more information on the risks of infectious diseases that pose a
significant and growing threat to the health, well-being, and long-term
viability of wild primate populations. After completing his degree, Daniel plans
to work to promote ecosystem health at the human-domestic wildlife interface
through, for example, broadening livestock treatment programs, expanding access
to vaccines for domestic animals, and developing policies for all chimpanzee
sites to adhere to health monitoring guidelines. Nominated by Paul Hatanga of
WCS Uganda – who was himself a 2020 WCN Scholarship recipient.
Awarded the Plum Foundation Vet Scholarship
Location: Uganda
University: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague
DEVAVRAT PAWAR
Devavrat Pawar will use his scholarship to complete his PhD at the University of
Wageningen in the Netherlands, which he began in 2020. With a particular focus
on tigers, Devavrat’s research investigates the mechanisms that enable ungulates
and large carnivores to successfully utilize resources within habitats that have
been disturbed by humans. Ultimately, this knowledge will help us better
understand co-adaptation of humans and large mammals, refine wildlife estimation
methodologies, highlight the importance of communities in wildlife conservation,
and contribute to strategic conservation planning. In the longer term, Devavrat
hopes to contribute to building conservation programs that help reconcile goals
of wildlife conservation and sustainable development. He plans to focus his work
in India’s human-dominated landscapes in the Terai (the foothills of the
Himalayas) and beyond, where several million people co-occur with or live in
proximity to wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Pranav Chanchani of WWFIndia.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: India
University: University of Wageningen in the Netherlands
ERIC NIYONKURU
Eric Niyonkuru is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in
wildlife health and management through the Department of Clinical Studies at the
University of Nairobi. For his thesis topic, he plans to focus on the assessment
of respiratory infections in the population of endangered golden monkeys around
Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. After completing his degree, Eric aims to use
the skills and knowledge acquired during his program a) to monitor and manage
disease outbreaks among the wild animal population in and around Volcanoes
National Park; b) to contribute to the veterinary unit wildlife health and
treatment; c) to improve disease surveillance and carry out investigations on
relevant diseases; d) to establish a health database of primates, including
mountain gorillas and chimpanzees; e) to develop and implement park health and
safety policies, strategies, guidelines, regulations and procedures; f) to train
other wildlife veterinarians, interns, and students; g) to analyze research data
in and around national parks in Rwanda; and h) to provide scientific and
technical advice for orphaned primates and confiscated wildlife. Nominated by
Dr. Olivier Nsengimana of the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Rwanda
University: University of Nairobi
ESTHER NOSAZEOGIE
Esther Nosazeogie is planning to use her scholarship to undertake a PhD at Stony
Brook University. Esther has been the volunteer communications manager at
SMACON-Africa (Small Mammal Conservation Organization, who joined WCN at the
Fall 2021 Virtual Expo) and is currently a research officer at the Nigerian
Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research. For her doctoral studies, she
intends to study the feeding ecology of seabirds in the coastal and offshore
waters in Nigeria. She will then use this data to determine priority sites for
at-sea conservation of seabirds, especially the endangered Cape Gannet, as well
as to contribute to the sustainable management of local fisheries. She hopes to
engage local fishers as citizen scientists to collect data on Nigerian seabirds
– data for which has not been updated since the 1970s. Her goal is to work with
local coastal communities, policymakers, conservation nonprofits like BirdLife
to develop the first-ever action plan for the conservation of coastal/marine
birds in Nigeria, especially those species that are endangered. Nominated by Dr.
Iroro Tanshi of the University of Benin (Whitley Award winner).
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Nigeria
University: Stony Brook University
FRANCIS LOPEYOK CHARLES LENANTIRI
Francis Lopeyok Charles Lenantiri plans to use his scholarship to pursue a
master’s degree at Kenyatta University, focusing on the influence of
community-based conservation on community empowerment and using the community
conservancies of northern Kenya as case studies. He was born and raised in the
Lekurruki community conservancy in northern Kenya and wants to work to drive
conservation forward as his community’s key economy and livelihood practice.
After completing his degree, Francis plans to continue to work for the Northern
Rangelands Trust to spearhead water programs across communities in northern and
eastern Kenya, with a focus on water for people, livestock, and wildlife,
especially the northern black rhino and elephant. His ultiamte goals will be to
develop functioning water infrastructure across member conservancies for
schools, clinics, villages, livestock, and wildlife, and to have functioning
conservancy water governance. Nominated by Dr. Kieran Avery of the Northern
Rangelands Trust (Tusk-supported conservationist).
Awarded the Handsel Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: Kenyatta University
GUADALUPE VERTA
Guadalupe Verta will use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of
California, Berkeley, focusing on developing approaches that integrate
biological and social science disciplines to answer questions related to human
wildlife coexistence and to the reduction of human impacts on ecosystems, such
as resource extraction, introduction of new species, and climate change. In
particular, she plans to explore the impact of fences on ungulate movement and
landscape connectivity, using ecological and social science tools for the
conservation of large mammals on private lands – which is especially critical in
Patagonia, where the vast majority of the land is privately owned – and
informing management decisions with interdisciplinary science. She will focus
her research on the Andean cat, southern viscacha, and cougar, though her work
will impact many wildlife species across Patagonia. Nominated by Dr. Andres
Novaro of WCS Argentina.
Awarded the Plum Foundation Scholarship
Location: Argentina
University: University of California, Berkeley
GUILHERME ALVARENGA
Guilherme Alvarenga will use his scholarship towards the completion of his
doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. He is working to develop the first
empirical landscape assessment of jaguar population connectivity across the
entire geographical range of the species, with the goals of a) producing a
large-scale analysis of jaguar habitat use throughout the species’ distribution,
determining what regions are and will be impacted by anthropogenic activities,
and b) at a local scale, characterizing human-carnivore interactions and
developing strategies to support the implementation of ecological corridors for
jaguars in partnership with local communities. He expects his PhD outcomes to
drive political and field-based conservation actions, and he aims to participate
actively in those, while also ensuring that local communities continue to have a
voice. Nominated by Dr. Carlos Durigan of WCS Brazil.
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: University of Oxford
HAMERE KELEMEWORK
Hamere Kelemework plans to use her scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
the University of Sassari in Italy. For her thesis, she will collaborate with
the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (WCN Partner) to analyze existing data
sets to find ways to improve the success of trapping Ethiopian wolves for
vaccination, health follow-up, and ongoing vaccination monitoring. She will
assess a) Ethiopian wolf captures and field immobilization, b) drivers of
trapping success, and c) trapability (by age, sex, and as affected by pack size
and territory size) in order to evaluate the safety of various methods, impact
on animal well-being, best practices, and to predict capture probabilities (by
age, sex, etc.) for planning disease interventions. In the longer term, as a
veterinarian and conservationist, her ambition is to see conservation
translocations and well-designed breeding programs put into action with
endangered species like Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf, Grevy’s zebra, Osgood’s
Ethiopian toad, and the Ethiopian amphibious rat. As a veterinarian, she plans
to help with animal health follow-up and genetic studies for designing smart
breeding modes, with the goal that no species go extinct in Ethiopia. Nominated
by Kumara Wakjira Gemeda, director of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation
Authority.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Ethiopian
University: University of Sassari in Italy
ISABELA MASCARENHAS
Isabela Mascarenhas plans to use her scholarship to pursue her PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Viçosa, focusing on developing plans for active
conservation management to protect the endangered buffy-tufted-ear marmoset. Her
research will establish a model based on IUCN guidelines for translocations and
reintroductions by identifying potential pathogens and associated risks present
in captive and wild populations of this species. The outcome of her study will
establish a disease risk and prevention protocol for the animals that are
candidates for release, considerations for zoonotic pathogens, and guidelines
for minimizing the risk of introducing new pathogens into the destination area.
She also hopes to reinforce the work of environmental education with the local
communities, where there is the potential for zoonotic disease transmission.
Nominated by Dr. Fabiano Melo, professor at the Federal University of Viçosa and
IUCN regional vice-chair for Brazil and Guianas of the Primate Specialist Group.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
KEVIN LUNZALU
Kevin Lunzalu will use his scholarship to complete his master’s in Coastal
Science & Policy at UC Santa Cruz. His research is centered on the interlink
between marine pollution and sea turtle hatchling populations along the Kenyan
Coast. He is analyzing the impact of marine plastics on the nesting percentage
of three sea turtle species that have been documented to nest on Diani Beach, a
popular tourist destination in Kenya: green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles,
and olive ridley sea turtles. Recent studies point towards the fact that eggs
may represent the most vulnerable stage for sea turtles since their survival is
dependent on several external environmental factors, and increased accumulation
of microplastics in nesting sites could significantly reduce hatching success.
After completing his degree, Kevin plans to work with WCS, the Kwale County
government, beach management units, tourism companies, hoteliers, and local
communities on a long-term project to safeguard insitu nesting sites from
microplastics, marine debris, and other development-related stressors. Nominated
by Dr. Nyawira Muthiga, the director of WCS Kenya’s Marine Program.
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of California, Santa Cruz
LEANDRE MURHULA
Leandre Murhula plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the
Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain. He plans to focus his
research on the prevalence and disease risk assessment of tuberculosis in
Grauer’s Gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park using a One Health approach –
meaning he will look at the disease rates in gorillas (both habituated and
non-habituated), local livestock herds, and humans that live in the area. After
completing his master’s degree, Leandre plans to continue working with the
Centre de Recherche en Science Naturelles, Lwiro in their newly opened molecular
biology lab, using his new skills to continue to study tuberculosis and also to
open a line of research focused on the consumption of bushmeat and the risk of
emerging infectious diseases linked to great ape conservation. Nominated by Dr.
Deo Kujirakwinja of WCS’ Eastern DRC Program.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: DRC
University: Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain
LUCAS MENDES BARRETO
Lucas Mendes Barreto plans to use his scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, focusing on conservation of the
giant armadillo in the Atlantic Forest in the Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, Minas
Gerais, Brazil. He plans to examine strategies to maintain viable populations
and meta populations and to evaluate the consequences of isolation and
fragmentation of rare, large mammals that occur at low density, using the giant
armadillo as a case study. In the longer term, Lucas’ goal is to implement an
extensive ecological corridor, in partnership with local communities, between
the strips of habitat fragments of the Atlantic Forest to increase the carrying
capacity and ensure a viable population of giant armadillos and other wildlife.
Nominated by Dr. Arnaud Desbiez of the Wild Animal Conservation Institute
(Whitley Award recipient).
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil
MARÍA ELENA CARBAJAL
María Elena Carbajal will use her scholarship to complete her master’s in
sociology at the University of Barcelona. Her thesis project focuses on
analyzing the social and cultural habits that lead people to buy and sell wild
animals or their body parts, with a particular focus on Andean bears and
jaguars. Through qualitative interviews and ethnographic research in Peru’s
primary markets and hotspots of sale, she will identify the main demand trends
and propose social, communicative and legal strategies to reduce them. In
addition to generating scientific data, her goal is to produce and documentary
and accompanying website to reach and wider audience and encourage citizens
themselves to contribute to reducing this crime. Her longer term goal is to
understand the social dynamics behind the main environmental crises and illegal
activities in order to work to modify behaviors. Nominated by Dr. Mariana
Montoya of WCS Peru.
Awarded the WCN-WCS Joint Scholarship
Location: Peru
University: University of Barcelona
MUHAMMAD ASIF
Muhammad Asif will be using his scholarship to pursue a master’s in statistical
ecology at University of St Andrews, focusing his research on snow leopard
population and conflict dynamics, with an aim to apply his knowledge to snow
leopard conservation in his hometown of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan through the
Snow Leopard Trust’s Pakistan Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program.
Pakistan itself has a dearth of conservation scientists, and without reliable
data on wildlife species, conservation is ineffective. This degree will allow
Asif to bridge the gap in his own knowledge between biology and statistics and
apply these skills to wildlife conservation in his home country, where it is
sorely needed. Following his degree, he plans to conduct robust population
estimates in his home region and to work with local communities on alternative
livelihood opportunities so there is less reliance on livestock for income
generation. Nominated by Dr. Charudutt Mishra of the International Snow Leopard
Trust (Whitley Award recipient).
Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship
Location: Pakistan
University: University of St Andrews
NELSON MWANGI GATHUKU
Nelson Mwangi Gathuku will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at
Colorado State University. The focus of his dissertation is the drivers of
elephant space use in a changing landscape – he is looking at what factors
influence this (environmental, elephant herd structure, and human), with the
goal being to use that data to inform landscape planning, mitigate
human-elephant conflict, and ensure human-elephant coexistence across a changing
landscape in Kenya and a broader Africa. After finishing his doctoral program,
Nelson plans to continue working with Save the Elephants, using the findings
from his degree to implement the protection of key corridors and elephant use
areas across the ecosystem in cooperation with local governments and
communities. Nominated by Frank Pope of Save the Elephants.
Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: Colorado State University
PALLABI CHAKRABORTY
Pallabi Chakraborty is planning to use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the
University of Florida, focusing on understanding ecological and anthropogenic
drivers of human–elephant conflict in the Kodagu landscape of Karnataka, India,
with the goal of ultimately reducing the negative impacts of conflict on both
local communities and elephants. She plans to continue working in this landscape
after the completion of her degree, doing community-based conservation to
mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Her aim to to conduct conservation education,
training, and engagement activities for village leaders, coffee and tea estate
workers, farmers, school teachers, women, school children, and front-line forest
staff. She also hopes to be able to offer mental health counseling services to
those who have had traumatic and stressful encounters with elephants, in order
to help them recover. Nominated by Dr. Purnima Barman of Aaranyak (Whitley Award
recipient).
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: India
University: University of Florida
PRINCE PASCAL AGRO
Prince Pascal Agro is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He plans to focus his dissertation
on population dynamics and the use of local conservation agreements to conserve
populations and habitats of two pangolin species, the white-bellied pangolin and
the black-bellied pangolin, in the Asukese Forest in Ghana. Pascal has already
started his own NGO, Alliance for Pangolin Conservation, Ghana, and he plans to
use the results of his PhD to engage and encourage forest fringe communities to
collaboratively structure and adopt local conservation agreements (bylaws) to
address wildlife-related misconducts at the community level, and to work with
national and local wildlife authorities to develop and implement an action plan
for the species. Nominated by Prof. Edward Debrah Wiafe, PhD, of the University
of Environment and Sustainable Development in Ghana.
Awarded the Sydney Byers Scholarship
Location: Ghana
University: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
ROCHELLE MPHETLHE
Rochelle Mphetlhe will be using her scholarship to complete her master’s program
at the University of Cape Town. Her research aims to quantify the changes in
abundance of raptor species in northern Botswana in recent years, with a
particular focus on vultures, which are the most endangered of all raptor
species in Botswana. Threats to raptor species include scavenging on
poison-laced carcasses – both from farmers who poison carcasses of livestock
they have lost to predators, and from poachers who poison carcasses of species
such as elephants, to stop raptors from alerting wildlife authorities to their
illegal activities. Rochelle’s goals are to continue filling gaps in data and
knowledge related to raptor conservation, teach communities about the value of
raptors, and to work with farmers on non-lethal methods of dealing with
problematic predators. Nominated by Dr. Glyn Maude of Kalahari Research &
Conservation Botswana (Rufford Foundation funding recipient).
Awarded the Sydney Byers Scholarship
Location: Botswana
University: University of Cape Town
SALIZA AWANG BONO
Saliza Awang Bono will use her Scholarship to complete her doctoral degree at
the University of Kyoto. Her research focuses on the acoustic ecology of small
cetaceans – specifically the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and
Irrawaddy dolphin – in northwest Peninsular Malaysia in relation to
environmental and anthropogenic pressures. Saliza plans to return to MareCet
after completing her PhD to develop a comprehensive conservation-based
bioacoustics program, which will investigate and explore how manmade noise
impacts marine animals. This information can then be used to address bycatch
issues and better protect these species. Saliza’s goal is to have noise
pollution recognized by the Malaysian government in the coming years as a threat
to marine mammals, and to have that drive policy change around boating
guidelines. She also plans to incorporate bioacoustic programming into MareCet’s
educational tours, giving more people exposure to this topic. Nominated by Dr.
Louisa Ponnampalam of MareCet.
Awarded the Plum Foundation Scholarship
Location: Malaysia
University: University of Kyoto
SAMUEL NJUKI MAHIGA
Samuel Njuki Mahiga will be using his scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree at
the University of Nairobi, focusing on the seasonal dynamics in feeding and
ranging ecology of the critically endangered mountain bongo. After completing
his PhD, he plans to continue working with the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
to enhance community awareness and empowerment programs by collaborating with
community forest associations to develop nature-based socioeconomic livelihood
programs, like bee farming, fish farming and ecotourism. Njuki also plans to
continue running school outreach project to inspire and train the next
generation of wildlife conservationists by providing the opportunity for young
people to participate in activities to learn about protecting mountain bongos
and other wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Robert Aruho of the Mount Kenya Wildlife
Conservancy.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of Nairobi
SAMUNDRA AMBUHANG SUBBA
Samundra Ambuhang Subba plans to use his scholarship towards a doctoral program
at the University of Newcastle, with a focus on large carnivore ecology –
specifically, the snow leopard, wolf, and lynx species in the western Himalayas
– and how these species a) interact with local communities and b) are impacted
by climate change. In the longer term, his goal is to continue working in the
conflict-prone and climate refuge hotspots of the western Himalayan landscape,
targeting highly exposed Indigenous/ marginalized communities. He hopes to
restore these crucial habitats by implementing early warning prevention systems,
awareness programs, predator-proof corrals, and introducing sustainable finance
and livestock insurance mechanisms. He also has ambitious plans to bring in
cutting-edge modern technologies like custom-built drones to facilitate wildlife
monitoring and conservation activities. Nominated by Dr. Ghana S. Gurung of WWF
Nepal.
Awarded the Pat J. Miller Scholarship
Location: Nepal
University: University of Newcastle
SINGIRA PARSAIS
Singira Parsais plans to use his scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at
the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, focusing his
thesis on assessing the population status and habitat use of African wild dogs
in Selous Game Reserve. Selous holds a significant population of the species;
however, the most recent study was conducted thirty years ago, and there has
been no recent update on the species’ population status and habitat use in the
ecosystem since then. Current data is essential to informing effective
conservation of the population – without it, wild dog populations may be led
into extinction without management awareness. After completing his degree,
Singira plans to continue working with the Tanzania Wildlife Management
Authority as head ecologist for Selous, using the results of his master’s degree
to better manage wild dogs and other wildlife, both in Selous and elsewhere in
Tanzania. Nominated by Dr. Amy Dickman, co-CEO of Lion Landscapes.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Tanzania
University: Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
SINOMAR FERREIRA DA FONSECA, JUNIOR
Sinomar Ferreira da Fonseca, Junior will use his scholarship to complete his PhD
at the University of Florida. He is focusing on developing strategies to
mobilize Indigenous people to confront infrastructure projects in the Amazon and
the associated need for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). In the
Brazilian Amazon, Indigenous people have seen their lands and cultures
jeopardized for infrastructure projects that have moved forward without FPIC.
The result is the persistence of social inequalities and governance decisions
that threaten their territory and culture. After finishing his PhD, Sinomar
plans to pursue a participatory evaluation of conservation actions with the
local Parintintin people, to better address their conservation needs, including
income generation through tourism, engaging local aldeijas (villages), and
expanding agroforesty system and biodiversity monitoring. His work will focus on
the yellow-spotted river turtle and red-rumped agouti, which are considered both
protein sources and income sources. Both species are declining in areas
surrounding the Parintintin aldeias. Nominated by Dr. Ricardo Assis Mello of WWF
Brazil.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Brazil
University: University of Florida
SOPHIA JINGO
Sophia Jingo will use her scholarship to complete her master’s degree at
Makerere University. She is focusing on understanding poacher decision making
and the impact of community-based intervention on human-wildlife interaction
around Murchison Falls National Park. Subsistence poaching is the main type of
poaching in this landscape, carried out with locally available materials such as
spears, wheel traps, snares and pitfall traps. Though set to catch herbivores,
snares are indiscriminate, and other species, often lions, can be trapped and
killed. After completing her degree, Sophia plans to work with key partners such
as the Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Geographic, and the European Union to
formulate a master plan for addressing subsistence poaching at a national level
and reduce local people’s reliance on poaching by providing alternative
livelihoods. Nominated by Dr. Tutilo Mudumba, co-director of the Snares to Wares
initiative (Rufford Foundation funding recipient) and himself a former WCN
Scholar (2016).
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Uganda
University: Makerere University
SURAJ BARAL
Suraj Baral will be using his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of
Bonn in Germany. He is planning to focus his studies on quantifying the
functional connectivity of the mugger crocodile across the Terai-Arc Landscape
in Nepal. After completing his degree, Suraj plans to return to working at
Resources Himalaya Foundation to strengthen the corridors identified during his
doctoral research. This will include identifying areas of conflict and
addressing causes in the corridors, conducting public outreach programs focused
on conservation of the species and the ecosystem, and corridor restoration for
crocodile basking and breeding, with public participation. Suraj firmly believes
that wildlife conservation is only possible through active community
participation backed up by scientific data. Nominated by Dr. Kanchan Thapa of
WWF Nepal.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Nepal
University: University of Bonn in Germany
TOBIAS OTIENO
Tobias Otieno is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the
University of York. He plans to focus on the impact of infrastructure on lions
and people in northern Kenya, highlighting three key themes: 1) describing the
lion structure within the community landscape unique to northern Kenya and the
Samburu culture; 2) looking at the impact that infrastructure (both large and
small scale) will have on lion movements; and 3) through a unique scenario
framework tool developed by the University of York (KESHO tool), working towards
understanding the impact that the changing landscape will have on people and
their culture using a participatory approach and future modeling. Toby plans to
continue working with Ewaso Lions after completing his degree to put the results
of his doctoral degree into practice, as well as to encourage other young
Kenyans to pursue conservation as a career. Nominated by Dr. Shivani Bhalla of
Ewaso Lions.
Awarded the Handsel Scholarship
Location: Kenya
University: University of York
THEOPHILE KILUBA WA KILUBA
Theophile Kiluba Wa Kiluba plans to use his scholarship to complete an applied
training course on techniques to diagnose respiratory disease in great apes at
the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands. After completing this
training, Theophile’s aim is to contribute to reducing the risks of emergence,
transmission, and spread of emerging infectious zoonotic diseases while
implementing a surveillance system for wildlife diseases looking at the
wildlife-livestock-human interface (i.e. a One Health approach). He will focus
his efforts around Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the DRC and other protected
areas regionally and hopes to contribute to raising awareness in local
communities related to the risk of diseases, with particular attention paid to
those related to bushmeat consumption. Nominated by Luis Flores Giron, head
veterinarian and capacity-building manager at the Centre de Rehabilitation des
Primates du Lwiro.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: DRC
University: Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands
ULAANKHUU ANKHANBAATAR
Ulaankhuu Ankhanbaatar will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at the
Mongolian State University of Life Sciences. Through his research, he is
exploring the role that infectious diseases play in species extinction. In 2019,
the first outbreak of African Swine Fever was recorded in Mongolia, infecting
wild boars – Ulaankhuu is specifically investigating the molecular
characterization and identification of the strain of this virus isolated in
Mongolia. During his PhD studies, he is working to learn new techniques and
assays on how to detect African Swine Fever in domestic and wild pigs and to
understand the routes of disease transmission so that he can provide training
and awareness to local people and professionals, including rangers and other
veterinarians, on how to prevent livestock disease spill over to wild
populations. He hopes to use the knowledge and experience gained during his PhD
to act as a key virology veterinarian who can respond to wildlife disease and
virus outbreaks in his country. Nominated by Dr. Enkhtuvshin Shiilegdamba of WCS
Mongolia.
Awarded the Vet Scholarship
Location: Mongolia
University: Mongolian State University of Life Sciences
ZABLON FATAELY
Zablon Fataely plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at
Sokoine University of Agriculture. He plans to focus his thesis on assessing the
contribution of the alternative sources of income on reducing human-
elephant conflict to local communities living adjacent to the protected areas
with the case of the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem in southern Tanzania, and then to
continue working with Wildlife Connection after completing his degree to improve
their existing alternative livelihoods program. Zablon also hopes to work to
improve conservation education in Tanzania in both primary and secondary
schools. His goal is to advocate for and engage government authorities on
updating the national curriculum to include conservation. Nominated by Sarah
Maisonneuve, executive director of Wildlife Connection.
Awarded the WCN Scholarship
Location: Tanzania
University: Sokoine University of Agriculture
MEET SCHOLARS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
These former scholarship recipients are now protecting wildlife throughout the
world.
Past Scholars
NEW & STORIES
MEET WCN SCHOLAR TUTILO MUDUMBA
When Tutilo left his home village in rural Uganda to attend school in the
capital of Kampala, he joined a... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR SONAM TASHI LAMA
As a child, Sonam had to walk miles to simply reach his local school.
Hailing from a remote village in Eastern Nepal... Learn More
MEET THE FIRST COHORT OF WCN INDIGENOUS SCHOLARS
This year, WCN's long-running Scholarship Program has expanded to accommodate
candidates from members of Indigenous tribes within the US. This... Learn More
CLEARING THE WAY FOR SEA TURTLES
The murmur of waves mingled with the teenagers’ laughter as they set their pails
down in the white coral sands... Learn More
WCN SCHOLAR SONAM TASHI LAMA RECEIVES WHITLEY AWARD
Recently, Sonam Tashi Lama, a 2016 recipient of the WCN Scholarship Program,
received a 2022 Whitley Award for his incredible... Learn More
TODAY'S STUDENTS, TOMORROW'S LEADERS
Herdhanu Jayanto waved away another mosquito as he waded through the knee-high
grass of Indonesia’s freshwater wetlands. Since dawn, he... Learn More
SAVING THE WONDERS OF THE ANNAMITES
What if I told you that, deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, there lives an
antelope-like ox, a tiger-striped... Learn More
EMPOWERING YOUNG CONSERVATIONISTS WHERE THEY LIVE
The dolphin’s pink snout breached the surface as it leapt into the sky. Three
days had passed with no sightings... Learn More
MEET 2020'S WCN SCHOLARS, PART 1
This year’s cohort of WCN Scholars is an inspiring group of 14 talented young
conservationists championing the protection of endangered... Learn More
MEET 2020'S WCN SCHOLARS, PART 2
In Part 2 of our series, we continue to highlight 2020’s WCN Scholars. From Iran
to Madagascar, our remaining seven... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR MINH NGUYEN
Minh Nguyen never knew that Javan rhinoceros were native to her country of
Vietnam until a poacher shot the last... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR JUAN CARLOS HUARANCA
Juan Carlos Huaranca hears the clatter of rocks slipping beneath his hiking
boots as he ascends the Bolivian Andes in... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR THOMAS MUTONHORI
As the light of the sun dwindles and the sky saturates to a celestial blue, a
Zimbabwean conservationist catches sight... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR MELISSA MICAELA ARIAS GOETSCHEL
Deep in the Bolivian Amazon, far from the nearest village, a small house rests
at the edge of the lush... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR MUKTAR ABUTE
In Ethiopia’s rugged, wind-swept Bale Mountains, a rust-colored wolf cautiously
approaches a chunk of fresh goat meat lying on the... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR SHASHANK POUDEL
Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR TEDDY MUKULA
WCN 2019 scholarship recipient and field biologist/ecologist Teddy Mukula kneels
in the swaying golden grasses of Liuwa Plain National Park,... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR DAMBER BISTA
A red panda streaks through a rural village in the Himalayan foothills of
Eastern Nepal, a pack of stray dogs... Learn More
ONE YEAR LATER: AFRICAN MARINE MAMMAL CONSERVATION
It’s not easy to work on your PhD and run a conservation organization at the
same time. However, for Aristide... Learn More
ONE YEAR LATER: THE DHOLE PROJECT
Can you think back to an old class from high school or college, when at the time
you were daydreaming,... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR JAMES WATUWA
In Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, wildlife veterinarian and WCN 2019
scholarship recipient James Watuwa works quickly to free a... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR JEAN FERUS NIYOMWUNGERI
In Rwanda’s wetlands, the cries of water birds fill the air as Community
Conservation Officer for Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association... Learn More
TODAY'S SCHOLARS, TOMORROW'S WILDLIFE HEROES
As the grandson of a former hunter, Peter Abanyam knows how hunters think and
work, and he uses this insider... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR SALONI BHATIA
Nestled up in the snow-covered Himalayas, villagers from an isolated mountain
village remain on high alert. Earlier that morning, a... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR GIRIDHAR MALLA
Moonlight shimmers on the Godavari River, a sacred river of central and
southeastern India, where a fishing cat crouches, motionless,... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR LUCERO MARIA DEL CARMEN VACA LEON
Deep in the jungle, the cry of howler monkeys echoes through the ruins of a
Mayan pyramid. Dazzling, multi-hued butterflies... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR MONSOON KHATIWADA
High up in the misty mountains of Nepal, where Monsoon Khatiwada works as a
wildlife conservationist, there lives a foxlike... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR PHALE MAX SEELE
Lithe and strikingly beautiful, with intense amber eyes and a graceful gait, the
cheetah is world-renowned for being the fastest... Learn More
SUPPORTING A NEW GENERATION OF WILDLIFE CHAMPIONS
An Nguyen has never seen a tiger, a leopard, or a rhino. Though much of the
forests in his home... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR FRANCY FORERO
A short drive from the bustling city of Barranquilla, in northern Colombia, lies
the Ceibal National forest. Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR HENRY MWAPE
Steam rises from the ground outside the Mfuwe Day Secondary School. The air is
thick with humidity and heat from... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR MARINA RIVERO
The lake, a murky green mirror crowned by thick foliage, large boulders, and sky
high trees that blotted out the... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR: ARTHUR BIENVENU MUNEZA
Although, originally from Rwanda (also known as Land of a Thousand Hills for its
endless and stunning mountains), Arthur spent his... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR: AN NGUYEN
The sun is at its zenith. Clouds of mosquitoes hover around An Nguyen’s head,
but none of that distracts him... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR: AGOSTINHO AQUELINO JORGE
Respect for nature runs deep in Agostinho’s family. As a boy growing up in Tete
Province in central Mozambique, Agostinho... Learn More
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE: THE WCN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The WCN Scholarship Program was founded ten years ago to mitigate the growing
threats against our most imperiled species worldwide. We... Learn More
EMPOWERING FUTURE CONSERVATION HEROES
Protecting endangered wildlife requires a special kind of hero; one who can
navigate the labyrinth of challenges wildlife face with... Learn More
2015 WCN SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
The WCN Scholarship Program invests in the next generation of conservation
leaders by providing grants for graduate education to students... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: ANYA RATNAYAKA
Anya's journey to protecting and conserving fishing cats was anything but
linear. She worked with a wide range of species before she began... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: ARISTIDE KAMLA
Many people are familiar with the plight of the Florida manatee, but Aristide
Kamla has dedicated his life to the study... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: JOSEPH LETOOLE
Interactions with wildlife were a daily part of Joseph's life growing up in the
Westgate Community Conservancy in Kenya—one of the first communities to
organize... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: KRYSTELLE LAVAKI DANFORD
Krystelle Lavaki Danford’s interest in wildlife conservation began at a young
age. When she was just five years old, her father gifted... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: MARTIAL KIKI
Martial Kiki was always fond of wildlife and nature, but a field trip to a
nature park in Martial's home country of... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR ALEJANDRA
Alejandra Rocio Torrez Traqui’s interest in Andean wildlife started during her
years as an undergraduate, studying the endangered Polylepsis tree... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: RABIN KADARIYA
Rabin Kadariya started his career as a conservation officer in 2009 at the
National Trust for Nature Conservation in Bardia... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: SURAJ UPADHAYA
Having grown up in rural Nepal, surrounded by mountains and forests, Suraj felt
a special bond with nature at a very young age. This led... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: THAÍS QUEIROZ MORCATTY
Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR DEO
It was Deo Kukirawinja’s grandfather who taught him to appreciate wildlife as a
child. Deo grew up in a village... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR ANITA
Anita Bousa has already broken new ground by being one of the few women in Laos
to work in the... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR ANA FRANCIS AURICH
Growing up in rural Peru left Ana with very few academic opportunities. That
soon changed when the Spectacled Bear Conservation Society (SBC)... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR NADIA MIJIDDORJ
Having grown up in the rugged landscape of Mongolia, in a village located near
the Great Gobi National Park, and coming from a... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR JAFFAR
Jaffar Ud Din grew up in a pastoral village in the mountain of Pakistan,
surrounded by stories of fearsome snow... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR JUSTIN CHAMBULILA
Like most native Tanzanians, Justin grew up having a special reverence for the
scores of animals that lived in the savannahs and... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR LARA
Lara Heidel’s childhood home was in a small mountain town in Patagonia, where
people and wildlife were in frequent contact.... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR POOJA CHOKSI
Pooja’s love for the outdoors began with her mother. Her childhood holidays
involved the two of them going on camping trips to... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR RAFAEL MORAIS CHIARAVALLOTI
Growing up in the city of San Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil, provided Rafael with
few opportunities to interact directly... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR SABITA MALLA
Sabita grew up in a remote, rural region of western Nepal, in the Baglung
district. Even as a child, she... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR TUTILO MUDUMBA
When Tutilo left his home village in rural Uganda to attend school in the
capital of Kampala, he joined a... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR SONAM TASHI LAMA
As a child, Sonam had to walk miles to simply reach his local school.
Hailing from a remote village in Eastern Nepal... Learn More
MEET THE FIRST COHORT OF WCN INDIGENOUS SCHOLARS
This year, WCN's long-running Scholarship Program has expanded to accommodate
candidates from members of Indigenous tribes within the US. This... Learn More
CLEARING THE WAY FOR SEA TURTLES
The murmur of waves mingled with the teenagers’ laughter as they set their pails
down in the white coral sands... Learn More
WCN SCHOLAR SONAM TASHI LAMA RECEIVES WHITLEY AWARD
Recently, Sonam Tashi Lama, a 2016 recipient of the WCN Scholarship Program,
received a 2022 Whitley Award for his incredible... Learn More
TODAY'S STUDENTS, TOMORROW'S LEADERS
Herdhanu Jayanto waved away another mosquito as he waded through the knee-high
grass of Indonesia’s freshwater wetlands. Since dawn, he... Learn More
SAVING THE WONDERS OF THE ANNAMITES
What if I told you that, deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, there lives an
antelope-like ox, a tiger-striped... Learn More
EMPOWERING YOUNG CONSERVATIONISTS WHERE THEY LIVE
The dolphin’s pink snout breached the surface as it leapt into the sky. Three
days had passed with no sightings... Learn More
MEET 2020'S WCN SCHOLARS, PART 1
This year’s cohort of WCN Scholars is an inspiring group of 14 talented young
conservationists championing the protection of endangered... Learn More
MEET 2020'S WCN SCHOLARS, PART 2
In Part 2 of our series, we continue to highlight 2020’s WCN Scholars. From Iran
to Madagascar, our remaining seven... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR MINH NGUYEN
Minh Nguyen never knew that Javan rhinoceros were native to her country of
Vietnam until a poacher shot the last... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR JUAN CARLOS HUARANCA
Juan Carlos Huaranca hears the clatter of rocks slipping beneath his hiking
boots as he ascends the Bolivian Andes in... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR THOMAS MUTONHORI
As the light of the sun dwindles and the sky saturates to a celestial blue, a
Zimbabwean conservationist catches sight... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR MELISSA MICAELA ARIAS GOETSCHEL
Deep in the Bolivian Amazon, far from the nearest village, a small house rests
at the edge of the lush... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR MUKTAR ABUTE
In Ethiopia’s rugged, wind-swept Bale Mountains, a rust-colored wolf cautiously
approaches a chunk of fresh goat meat lying on the... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR SHASHANK POUDEL
Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR TEDDY MUKULA
WCN 2019 scholarship recipient and field biologist/ecologist Teddy Mukula kneels
in the swaying golden grasses of Liuwa Plain National Park,... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR DAMBER BISTA
A red panda streaks through a rural village in the Himalayan foothills of
Eastern Nepal, a pack of stray dogs... Learn More
ONE YEAR LATER: AFRICAN MARINE MAMMAL CONSERVATION
It’s not easy to work on your PhD and run a conservation organization at the
same time. However, for Aristide... Learn More
ONE YEAR LATER: THE DHOLE PROJECT
Can you think back to an old class from high school or college, when at the time
you were daydreaming,... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR JAMES WATUWA
In Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, wildlife veterinarian and WCN 2019
scholarship recipient James Watuwa works quickly to free a... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR JEAN FERUS NIYOMWUNGERI
In Rwanda’s wetlands, the cries of water birds fill the air as Community
Conservation Officer for Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association... Learn More
TODAY'S SCHOLARS, TOMORROW'S WILDLIFE HEROES
As the grandson of a former hunter, Peter Abanyam knows how hunters think and
work, and he uses this insider... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR SALONI BHATIA
Nestled up in the snow-covered Himalayas, villagers from an isolated mountain
village remain on high alert. Earlier that morning, a... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR GIRIDHAR MALLA
Moonlight shimmers on the Godavari River, a sacred river of central and
southeastern India, where a fishing cat crouches, motionless,... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR LUCERO MARIA DEL CARMEN VACA LEON
Deep in the jungle, the cry of howler monkeys echoes through the ruins of a
Mayan pyramid. Dazzling, multi-hued butterflies... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR MONSOON KHATIWADA
High up in the misty mountains of Nepal, where Monsoon Khatiwada works as a
wildlife conservationist, there lives a foxlike... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR PHALE MAX SEELE
Lithe and strikingly beautiful, with intense amber eyes and a graceful gait, the
cheetah is world-renowned for being the fastest... Learn More
SUPPORTING A NEW GENERATION OF WILDLIFE CHAMPIONS
An Nguyen has never seen a tiger, a leopard, or a rhino. Though much of the
forests in his home... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR FRANCY FORERO
A short drive from the bustling city of Barranquilla, in northern Colombia, lies
the Ceibal National forest. Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR HENRY MWAPE
Steam rises from the ground outside the Mfuwe Day Secondary School. The air is
thick with humidity and heat from... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR MARINA RIVERO
The lake, a murky green mirror crowned by thick foliage, large boulders, and sky
high trees that blotted out the... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR: ARTHUR BIENVENU MUNEZA
Although, originally from Rwanda (also known as Land of a Thousand Hills for its
endless and stunning mountains), Arthur spent his... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR: AN NGUYEN
The sun is at its zenith. Clouds of mosquitoes hover around An Nguyen’s head,
but none of that distracts him... Learn More
MEET 2018 WCN SCHOLAR: AGOSTINHO AQUELINO JORGE
Respect for nature runs deep in Agostinho’s family. As a boy growing up in Tete
Province in central Mozambique, Agostinho... Learn More
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE: THE WCN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The WCN Scholarship Program was founded ten years ago to mitigate the growing
threats against our most imperiled species worldwide. We... Learn More
EMPOWERING FUTURE CONSERVATION HEROES
Protecting endangered wildlife requires a special kind of hero; one who can
navigate the labyrinth of challenges wildlife face with... Learn More
2015 WCN SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
The WCN Scholarship Program invests in the next generation of conservation
leaders by providing grants for graduate education to students... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: ANYA RATNAYAKA
Anya's journey to protecting and conserving fishing cats was anything but
linear. She worked with a wide range of species before she began... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: ARISTIDE KAMLA
Many people are familiar with the plight of the Florida manatee, but Aristide
Kamla has dedicated his life to the study... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: JOSEPH LETOOLE
Interactions with wildlife were a daily part of Joseph's life growing up in the
Westgate Community Conservancy in Kenya—one of the first communities to
organize... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: KRYSTELLE LAVAKI DANFORD
Krystelle Lavaki Danford’s interest in wildlife conservation began at a young
age. When she was just five years old, her father gifted... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: MARTIAL KIKI
Martial Kiki was always fond of wildlife and nature, but a field trip to a
nature park in Martial's home country of... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR ALEJANDRA
Alejandra Rocio Torrez Traqui’s interest in Andean wildlife started during her
years as an undergraduate, studying the endangered Polylepsis tree... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: RABIN KADARIYA
Rabin Kadariya started his career as a conservation officer in 2009 at the
National Trust for Nature Conservation in Bardia... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: SURAJ UPADHAYA
Having grown up in rural Nepal, surrounded by mountains and forests, Suraj felt
a special bond with nature at a very young age. This led... Learn More
2017 WCN SCHOLAR: THAÍS QUEIROZ MORCATTY
Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR DEO
It was Deo Kukirawinja’s grandfather who taught him to appreciate wildlife as a
child. Deo grew up in a village... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR ANITA
Anita Bousa has already broken new ground by being one of the few women in Laos
to work in the... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR ANA FRANCIS AURICH
Growing up in rural Peru left Ana with very few academic opportunities. That
soon changed when the Spectacled Bear Conservation Society (SBC)... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR NADIA MIJIDDORJ
Having grown up in the rugged landscape of Mongolia, in a village located near
the Great Gobi National Park, and coming from a... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR JAFFAR
Jaffar Ud Din grew up in a pastoral village in the mountain of Pakistan,
surrounded by stories of fearsome snow... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR JUSTIN CHAMBULILA
Like most native Tanzanians, Justin grew up having a special reverence for the
scores of animals that lived in the savannahs and... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR LARA
Lara Heidel’s childhood home was in a small mountain town in Patagonia, where
people and wildlife were in frequent contact.... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR POOJA CHOKSI
Pooja’s love for the outdoors began with her mother. Her childhood holidays
involved the two of them going on camping trips to... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR RAFAEL MORAIS CHIARAVALLOTI
Growing up in the city of San Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil, provided Rafael with
few opportunities to interact directly... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR SABITA MALLA
Sabita grew up in a remote, rural region of western Nepal, in the Baglung
district. Even as a child, she... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR TUTILO MUDUMBA
When Tutilo left his home village in rural Uganda to attend school in the
capital of Kampala, he joined a... Learn More
MEET WCN SCHOLAR SONAM TASHI LAMA
As a child, Sonam had to walk miles to simply reach his local school.
Hailing from a remote village in Eastern Nepal... Learn More
Photography credits: Tim Watcher, Antonio Nuñez-Lemos, Nicholas-Dyer, Karen
Povey, Steve Mandel, Eugeny Polonsky, Jon McCormack, Lucas Meers, Peter Lindsey,
Spectacled Bear Conservation, Save the Elephants, Marecet, Susan McConnell,
Bárbara Antonucci, Corey Raffel
DONATE
When you designate your donation to a specific species, 100% of your donation
will go directly to the field to support this species.
Select an Animal Andean Cat Bat Cheetah—Botswana Cheetah—Namibia Cotton-Top
Tamarin Dolphins and Dugongs Elephant Elephant Crisis Fund Ethiopian Wolf
Gorillas Grevy's Zebra Grey Crowned Cranes Lion—Ewaso Lion—Niassa Lion Recovery
Fund Macaws Okapi Orangutan Painted Dog Pangolin Crisis Fund Penguins Rhino
Recovery Fund Saiga Antelope Sea Turtle Sharks and Rays Small Cats Snow Leopard
Spectacled Bear Tiger Where Needed Most Wildlife Scholars
Donation Amount* $100 $250 $500 $1000
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