If you weren’t able to make it to the 2017 Fall Wildlife Conservation Expo or if you missed any of the presentations, fear not! We’ve uploaded them all for your viewing pleasure.
Welcomes by Wildlife Conservation Network President, Charles Knowles and Executive Director Dr. JG Collomb
Charlie Knowles, president of the Wildlife Conservation Network, and Dr. JG Collomb, Executive Director, welcome you to the Wildlife Conservation Expo 2017, where wildlife conservationists from around the world share stories about their experiences protecting wildlife.
Orio Douglas-Hamilton recieves the innagural Mary S. Boardman Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding work and a local North Bay firefighter gets a surprise appearance with Dr. Jane Goodall
Niassa Lion Project- Dr. Colleen Begg
Niassa Lion Project (NLP), which combines science with passion, empathy, and sound management practices, is as much about people as it is about lions. The team aims to build a sustainable lion-friendly community by working closely with community members, reserve management, and tourism operators. They consider everyone a participant in conservation.
Global Penguin Society · Dr. Pablo Borboroglu
Global Penguin Society (GPS) is promoting penguin conservation and advocating for solutions to sustainable healthy activities in the ocean. They work with penguin researchers and conservationists worldwide, implementing a united conservation front for these charismatic flightless birds. GPS also promoted the creation of the first ever IUCN Penguin Specialist Group, dedicated to the conservation of all 18 species.
Oceanswell · Dr. Asha De Vos
Oceanswell is a Sri Lankan born marine conservation research and education organization founded by marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Asha De Vos, whose pioneering scientific research on the “unorthodox” blue whale of the Northern Indian Ocean has been widely recognized around the world. Oceanswell works to change the trajectory for the world’s oceans by educating the next generation of ocean heroes.
Spectacled Bear Conservation · Robyn Appleton
The rare, charismatic spectacled bear is highly endangered, primarily due to habitat fragmentation that have caused it to lose access to critical feeding areas. Although spectacled bears are generally found in humid, alpine cloud forests, Spectacled Bear Conservation (SBC) discovered a population of more than 65 bears in the low elevation dry forest, providing them with a unique opportunity to observe them in the wild. SBC works closely with the communities that live in and around bear habitat to build local people’s pride in conservation.
The Ara Project- Dr. Sam Williams
Macaw numbers worldwide have been plummeting for many years and Costa Rica is no different. Formerly present over 85% of the country, there are now two main isolated populations of scarlet macaws remaining in Costa Rica. While great green macaws have recovered slightly thanks to intensive conservation efforts, their total population is still low. For over thirty years, The Ara Project has been a leader in the rescue and the release of macaws in Costa Rica.
Wild Lions | Wild Africa Panel
Over the past 25 years alone, we have lost one half of all lions across Africa. Their loss represents the decline of wild landscapes across the continent. But lions have hope. In this panel, hear from committed field-based conservationists about the lion crisis and how lions can be recovered across their entire range.
Save the Elephants · Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton and Frank Pope
Save the Elephants (STE) continues to do critical work on the ground in Kenya and around the world to save elephants. The organization’s groundbreaking research closely follows the elephants that live in STE’s northern Kenya study area and provides crucial details on what land and resources elephants need to thrive. Save the Elephants reduces conflict between humans and elephants and provides outreach around the world on elephants’ behalf.
Saiga Conservation Alliance- Olya Esipova
Saiga antelope with their distinctive flexible nose and impressive horns face severe challenges. The world population of saiga antelope has crashed by an astounding 95% in the past 20 years, due to threats like poaching for saiga meat and horns and catastrophic disease outbreaks. Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA) is working on the frontlines of saiga human interaction in Uzbekistan.
The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program · Dr. Jorgelina Marino
The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (EWCP) has played an instrumental role in helping the people of Ethiopia learn about and protect the rare and unique Ethiopian wolf, a special animal that lives only in their country. EWCP has also been able to work closely with the Ethiopian government in creating a plan to protect the remaining wolves.
Painted Dog Conservation · Peter Blinston
African wild dogs, also known as painted dogs, used to live all across Africa, with 500,000 dogs in 39 countries. Impacted by poaching, road kills, and mining and logging that destroy habitat, now only 6,600 dogs are thought to remain. Zimbabwe, where Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) is headquartered, is one of the last strongholds. Painted Dog Conservation works closely with local people to provide income from other sources and to develop in local people an appreciation for the dogs and the value of conservation.
The Andean Cat Alliance · Rocio Palacios and Rodrigo Villalobos
The Andean Cat Alliance, which operates across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru, the countries where the cat lives, devote their time and energy to saving a highly elusive and rare animal that most of them will never see. Habitat loss and habitat degradation due to mining, water extraction, unregulated tourism, and agricultural practices threaten the cat, as does hunting. The Alliance was the first to capture and radio collar an Andean cat and continue to increase their knowledge of the cat for conservation education and the growth of protected areas.
Ewaso Lions · Dr. Shivani Bhalla and Jeneria Lekilelei
The Ewaso Lions team believes that the key to saving lions in northern Kenya lies in involving local people in conservation. Therefore, the heart of their work is in the communities that surround Samburu, Buffalo Springs, and Shaba National Reserves. Ewaso Lions’ community outreach and education programs engage local people in conservation, provide training, find creative solutions to human-wildlife conflict, and give back to the community.
Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation · Dr. Jim Sanderson with Anya Ratnayaka
There are 22 species of incredible small wild cats found around the world. Like their larger cousins, small cats are threatened by the loss of valuable habitat and prey as well as indiscriminate killing, and conflict with humans, livestock, and domestic animals. Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation (SWCCF) works on a global scale with local scientists and organizations like Anya Ratnayaka from the Urban Fishing Cat Conservation Project.
Rewilding Patagonia- Kristine McDivitt Tompkins
Doug Tompkins—one of the most ambitious and successful conservationists in history—worked for a quarter century to create and expand national parks in Chile and Argentina, recover imperiled wildlife, demonstrate organic agricultural practices, promote healthy local communities, and support leading-edge activism. Under the continuing leadership of his wife Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, these pioneering efforts continue through the Tompkins Conservation umbrella of nonprofit organizations and through the support of other like-minded organizations.
Cheetah Conservation Botswana- Rebecca Klein and Jane Horgan
Botswana is a remaining stronghold for cheetahs, and Cheetah Conservation Botswana’s main task is improving community perceptions towards the cheetah. Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) works together with the people that live side-by-side with cheetahs, creating initiatives tailored to meet community needs and priorities. They aim to allow cheetahs to remain as a flagship species for Botswana and its rich biodiversity.
Proyecto Titi · Rosamira Guillen
The cotton-top tamarin—a tiny, one-pound monkey with a shock of white hair crowning its head—is one of the most endangered primates in the world and lives only in the tropical dry forests of Colombia. These monkeys are threatened by dramatic habitat loss and the global pet trade. Proyecto Tití (PT) works closely with local communities and government authorities to protect the cotton-top’s precious habitat
Okapi Conservation Project · John Lukas
The Okapi Conservation Project, headquartered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, continues to engage in critical protection of the elusive okapi, a close relative of the giraffe. In addition to providing assistance to their surrounding communities, their efforts are creating a stronger commitment to conservation locally, with community members taking on a greater role in safeguarding the okapi’s forest home.
Giraffe Conservation Foundation- Dr. Julian Fennessy
In the past few decades, the world’s giraffe population has dropped by almost 40%, leaving less than 100,000 individuals. Many of their populations are decreasing or unstable due to habitat loss, poaching, and human population growth. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) is the only NGO in the world that concentrates solely on the conservation and management of giraffe in the wild throughout Africa.