In late February, the Rising Wildlife Leaders (RWL) Amazonia Program participated at the landmark gathering of Amazonian conservationists, emerging leaders, and funders at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
This was more than an event; the final summit of the Power of Connections(POC) project became a powerful stage where Amazonia’s Rising Wildlife Leaders stepped forward, marking a true milestone for the Program and a testament to its growing influence in shaping the next generation of conservationists in the region.
The summit unfolded over four days, opening with a two-day conference on pressing pan-Amazonian conservation topics, followed by a two-day collaborative workshop where participants developed frameworks to tackle the region’s most critical conservation challenges. Multiple WCN representatives were present, with Nina Attias contributing to discussions on “Reshaping Institutions for the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders,” by sharing the successful capacity building model and achievements of the Rising Wildlife Leaders strategy and JG Collomb co-leading a session on Conservation Funding with Maria DiGiano (GBMF).
What truly made this gathering historic was the rare convergence of the program’s young leaders, WCN representatives, and collaborators, standing alongside some of the most prominent, established figures in Amazon conservation. Their collective presence sent a powerful signal: RWL Amazonia is not merely cultivating leaders in name, but in practice. Our young leaders shone, sharing their innovative ideas and hard-won experience on tackling Amazonia’s most challenging threats. Their brilliance and competence left the more experienced conservationists profoundly inspired, with a shared realization that the future of Amazon conservation is in very capable hands.
“Our partnership with the University of Florida and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation reflects a deep belief that the future of Amazonian conservation rests in the hands of the leaders we cultivate today. The Power of Connections Summit was a milestone for the entire movement we are building together.”
- JG Collomb, CEO, WCN
The summit was the culminating event of The Power of Connections (POC): Harvesting Lessons and Strengthening Coalitions for Amazonian Conservation, a project led by the Tropical Conservation and Development Program (TCD) within the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida (UF) and fully funded by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, also the main funder and a key partner of the RWL Amazonia Program.
The POC project aims to strengthen coalitions for Amazon conservation by invigorating existing networks, harvesting lessons learned, and catalyzing new cross-generational partnership. Their mission resonated deeply with our own, and the RWL Amazonia Program played an integral, natural role, bridging generations by identifying and supporting conservation leaders across the Amazon basin to contribute to vital regional thematic networks across topics, such as Sociobioeconomies, Collaborative management of landscapes, Innovations in the research process, and Indigenous rights.
The Amazonia program was further showcased through a poster presentation spotlighting its lessons learned and early successes, making the summit an ideal stage to raise WCN’s profile among key regional actors. More importantly, the workshop opened additional doors, allowing our team to identify powerful synergies with other conservation and capacity building initiatives across the basin. This summit didn’t just conclude a chapter; it laid the critical groundwork for future regional collaborations that will strengthen the long-term impact of the RWL Amazonia Program.
The successful participation in the Power of Connections activities is just one chapter in the ongoing story of the Rising Wildlife Leaders Amazonia. We are hopeful that the connections forged there will spark many more opportunities for these brilliant rising leaders to convene and collaborate with this strong network of Amazonia conservationists. As they return to their communities and projects across the Amazon basin, we will continue to champion their work and ensure they are supported, seen and heard, for they are not just emerging talent—they are the future of Amazon conservation.