Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders

As we continue to celebrate Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders’ 20th anniversary, today we spotlight Class 3, a cohort of 21 conservation professionals whose dedication to conservation and EWCL continues to inspire today. Between 2009 and 2010, Class 3 undertook four initiatives to protect imperiled species, some of whom had received little international conservation support and attention up to that point. 🌿 The Cotton‑Top Tamarin project (Colombia) supported partner Fundación Proyecto Tití’s sustainable livelihoods initiative through the sale of locally made cultural handbags known as “Eco-Mochilas”. Their work resulted in the certification of Eco-Mochilas as Wildlife Friendly® by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, facilitating the bags to be sold on the US market, and helped establish a partnership between Proyecto Tití and the Micke Grove Zoo. 🌿 The Saola project (Vietnam/Laos) raised funding to train park rangers in Vietnam’s Quang Nam Province. In collaboration with the IUCN Saola Working Group, the team also created the Saola website, www.savethesaola.org, to serve as a repository of information on Saola conservation projects. 🌿 The Tapir project (Central America) developed comprehensive outreach materials in English and Spanish to raise awareness on the tapir, which until then had received little global attention. The team also conducted a media training at the Fifth International Tapir Symposium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2011. 🌿 The Yellow‑Headed Parrot project (Belize) raised funds to build capacity and increase the number of park rangers in the Rio Bravo Conservation Area in Belize. They also created various outreach materials, including a website and an informational video featuring the first-known footage of yellow-headed parrot chicks in the wild. Class 3 stands out not only for their contribution to conservation but also for their continued involvement with EWCL. Two members of this cohort, Amielle DeWan and Claire Martin, now sit on the EWCL Advisory Council and continue to move the program forward as mentors, advisors, and funders. Let’s honor this class 3's legacy of dedication. Find more about the cohort on this link: https://lnkd.in/gDPsrnMB

The Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders Lion Recovery Fund Project Team took the stage at the Lion Footprint Forum 2025 to present their groundbreaking work on Collaborative Coexistence, a project aimed at advancing human-lion coexistence across the lion range in Africa by increasing communication and collaboration among lion conservation practitioners and local communities. Over the past year, this dedicated team has worked with the Lion Recovery Fund and its partner NGOs and local communities to explore real-world solutions for promoting coexistence in lion landscapes. Their presentation at the Forum highlighted key insights from local community surveys on coexistence strategies, which will be combined with scientific input from human-wildlife coexistence experts to create an innovative Human-Lion Coexistence Best Practices Toolkit. The Lion Footprint Forum is a gathering of key stakeholders dedicated to advancing human-lion coexistence. The 2025 Forum's theme is “People and Lions: Reducing the Cost and Unlocking the Value of Coexistence.” Hats off to the EWCL-LRF team for bringing fresh energy, collaboration, and innovation to lion conservation and for amplifying the voices of those living alongside wildlife every day. See links below for more details: EWCL - LRF team project: https://lnkd.in/gyBtzd5p Lion Footprint Forum: https://lnkd.in/gQnKY482

Our incredible Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders Class 10 recently wrapped up their second training session! These 24 passionate early-career conservationists gathered In the serenity of White Oak Conservation from June 2-6, 2025, to hone essential skills in effective communication and presentation, incorporating diverse perspectives into conservation practice, advocacy, personal leadership development, and adaptive project management. As they are halfway through developing their lion-focused conservation projects, they used the presentation and the adaptive management skills learned at the training to give updates on their team projects through engaging presentations and to revisit their theories of change. The class was privileged to have two guest alumni, Crystal DiMiceli (Class 4) and Lalampaa Peter (Class 5), who joined the EWCL Advisory Council members in leading these impactful sessions Over the next six months, Class 10 will continue to implement their projects and evaluate the outcomes. They will reconvene in Washington, DC, on December 10th for the third training and graduation, which will coincide with the EWCL 20th Anniversary Summit. Special thanks to Class 10 team projects funders, including the Brodsky Foundation, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Houston Zoo, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, and SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.

As we continue to reminisce on EWCL’s incredible 20-year journey, we’re reflecting on each of our past classes. Class 2, which was comprised of 21 rising conservationists, including EWCL’s first international participants, started in 2007. The richness of this class’s skills and interests is reflected in the various impactful team projects they launched over the following 2 years. 🌿 The Pangolin Conservation Project sounded the alarm on the plight of the world’s most trafficked mammal long before they became a global conservation priority. 🌿 The Amphibian Conservation Project raised awareness on the global amphibian crisis, focusing on habitat preservation and disease prevention. 🌿 The Jaguar Conservation Project developed strategies to reduce human-wildlife conflict, secure critical habitats, and engage local communities in protecting this iconic species. 🌿 The Okapi Conservation Project collaborated with local communities and conservation groups to protect the rare and elusive Okapi in the dense rainforests of the Congo from poaching and habitat loss Class 2 exemplified the power of collaboration and innovation. Their projects not only raised awareness but also drove meaningful action on the ground, contributing to the survival of these species and setting the stage for future conservation efforts. The Pangolin Conservation Team Project’s efforts evolved into the nonprofit organization Save Pangolins, which is still active today. In fact, they were a EWCL partner of Class 9, which focused entirely on pangolins. Two Class 2 members, Nilanga Jayasinghe and Paul Thomson, now sit on the EWCL Advisory Council and play a critical role in carrying forward the program’s mission as mentors, advisors, and funders. As we celebrate two decades of empowering the next generation of wildlife conservation leaders, we honor the legacy of Class 2 and their unwavering commitment to safeguarding our planet’s most vulnerable wildlife. Find more about EWCL class 2 on this link: https://shorturl.at/JSZR7

As we celebrate Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders’ 20 years of inspiring conservation leaders, let’s go down memory lane to EWCL’s very 1st class! The inaugural EWCL Class 1 kicked off on February 28th, 2005, with 20 passionate early-career conservationists coming together for a transformative journey. Over the next two years, they received leadership training and mentorship from some of the most experienced minds in the field and were inspired by renowned guest speakers like CNN’s Amos Gelb and then-Congressman and later Washington State Governor Jay Inslee. As the first cohort, they had the unique opportunity to select their conservation projects and they decided to focus entirely on imperiled sun bears and sloth bears of Southeast Asia. They raised funds, created awareness campaigns and education initiatives across multiple countries, and published groundbreaking research. Today, class 1 members have built not only impressive conservation careers but also lifelong friendships. One class 1 member, David Mizejewski, sits on EWCL’s Advisory Council, paying it forward to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders. Let’s give it up for Class 1!!! Find more about EWCL class 1 on this link: https://shorturl.at/teBP2 We will be reflecting on each EWCL class over the next several weeks. Stay tuned!

It was a roaring Earth Day for another EWCL Class 10 project team! 🦁 🌍 Team LRF gathered with friends at D.C.'s iconic Dacha Beer Garden to celebrate the planet while raising a glass—and funds—for lion conservation! The team is working with the Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) to reduce human-lion conflicts throughout the lion range by increasing communication and collaboration among lion conservation practitioners and local communities. Kudos to Team LRF and big thanks to everyone who joined them at the watering hole to support a better future for lions and the people who live alongside them! More information about the team's partnership with the LRF can be found here https://shorturl.at/CcP52

🌍 Happy Earth Day! 🦁 🌿 This Earth Day, we're happy to share that one of our Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) Class 10 Project Teams received grant funding from the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Endangered Species Fund, as administered by Brookfield Zoo Chicago. This funding will support the team's efforts to promote community engagement and empowerment for human-lion coexistence through education and technology, in partnership with Watu, Simba na Mazingira -WASIMA, a Tanzanian organization whose Swahili name Watu, Simba na Mazingira means "People, Lions, and the Environment". Such a partnership is a core component of the EWCL program whereby participants work with a local partner on a conservation campaign to gain a real-world hands-on experience. Congratulations to Team WASIMA for being among this year esteemed grantees! More information about this year's CBOT Endangered Species Fund award recipients can be found here: https://shorturl.at/3LoXu More information about our project team partnership with WASIMA can be found here: https://shorturl.at/rEZOB

EWCL is turning 20! 🎂 🎉 🎊 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program — two decades of empowering early-career wildlife conservation leaders from around the world. In those years EWCL participants have conserved over 74 species, raised over $305K for conservation, and supported over 200 organizations. To celebrate this incredible milestone, we’re bringing together our global network for a special 20th Anniversary Summit this December in Washington, DC. The summit will reflect on our conservation legacy, uplift each other, provide learning opportunities, and look ahead to a better future for conservation. To kick off the celebrations, over the next few days we’ll reflect on each EWCL class and the impacts they made. Stay tuned!

We are thrilled to share that EWCL Alumni (Class 7) Gabriela Ochoa is a nominee for Future For Nature's 2025 awards! Gabriela is the executive director of Ilili, a marine conservation NGO in Honduras, where she works hand in hand with the Honduran government and local Indigenous communities to conserve marine ecosystems, with a focus on sharks and rays. We love seeing incredible conservationists, like Gabriela, receive recognition for the impactful work they do. Please help us in congratulating Gaby and the other FFN nominees!

A recent report by Planet Indonesia involving the work of two Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders class projects reveals the complexity of community-led conservation in protecting Sunda pangolins in Indonesia’s Gunung Naning forests. Analyzing the effectiveness of the community-led SMART Patrols model, which involves local communities in patrols in conjunction with regional forest management authorities, the report finds that the level of community participation in patrols is dependent on the level of alignment between conservation efforts and local customs and needs. Furthermore, a 2023 community survey showed a disconnect between increasing positive attitudes towards pangolins and the perceptions of responsibility and actions for their conservation. These findings highlight the need for ongoing adaptive strategies that address socioeconomic drivers of poaching and foster deeper integration of conservation efforts into local customs. This work exemplifies how EWCL class projects have meaningful impact in delivering new insights and tools for effective conservation for our partners. The 2023 community survey was done in collaboration with the EWCL Class 9's Illegal Wildlife Trade team, and the training for community-led SMART patrols was provided by EWCL Class 7's Helmeted Hornbill team. Read more in the blogpost below: https://lnkd.in/geRSssBD