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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.

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.

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

jaguar

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

snow leopard

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

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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 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 the First Cohort of WCN Indigenous Scholars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR Shashank Poudel

Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR Teddy Mukula

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2017 WCN Scholar: Thaís Queiroz Morcatty

Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Deo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
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