By Eleanor Glass, CLP Programme Officer at Fauna & Flora
For over a decade, the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) has partnered with Fondation Segré on a Career Placement scheme that supports aspiring conservationists to embark on their careers and deliver real-world impact. Here, we take a look at some of the stories of impact emerging from the past four years of this partnership, spanning European grasslands and African reefs to the fruit and nut forests of central Asia.
Marine conservation and restoration:
 CLP mentee Mwanaidi Juma leading a training with coastal communities in Tanzania as part of her Career Placement © Mwanaidi Juma/Mwambao Coastal Community Network | In Tanzania, Luqman Khamis and Mwanaidi Juma worked with the Mwambao Coastal Community Network to restore degraded reefs and strengthen community fisheries management. Their efforts (outlined in detail here) supported the training of 150 fishers, installation of artificial reefs, and formation of local management committees. Both Luqman and Mwanaidi were later hired full-time by Mwambao. |
 CLP mentee Huynh Thi Hue led beach clean ups as part of her placement in Vietnam © Fauna & Flora Vietnam | In Vietnam, Huynh Thi Hue led beach clean-ups, worked with tourism operators to reduce marine litter, and restored the threatened Betaphycus seaweed species – all while supporting sustainable livelihoods in Nui Chua National Park. The seaweed restoration trial led by Thi Hue demonstrated a combined conservation–livelihood model that has since been integrated into Nui Chua National Park’s management planning and is informing future Marine Protection Area work by Fauna & Flora Vietnam. |
 CLP mentee Phon Sophea (right) undertaking a marine litter monitoring assessment with his colleague in Poulo Wai Island, Cambodia © Phon Sophea | Phon Sophea and Tharamony Ngoun worked in the Koh Sdach Archipelago of Cambodia to research marine debris, monitor sea turtles, and raise awareness on ocean protection. They trained volunteers, engaged schools and the Navy, and supported the Ministry of Environment’s marine management planning.
|
Community engagement and mobilisation:
 CLP mentee Dirciley Vieira Teixeira © Fundação Príncipe | Dirciley Vieira Teixeira worked with Fundação Príncipe in São Tomé and Príncipe, documenting 21 medicinal plant species, creating a local herbarium, and promoting traditional ecological knowledge through national presentations. Her work now informs plant conservation education on the island.
|
 CLP mentee Chantia Mahovary delivered environmental awareness programmes in Madagascar © Madagasikara Voakajy | Chantia Mahavory worked with Madagasikara Voakajy in Mangabe Reserve, Madagascar, combining literacy education with environmental awareness for 120 local participants. Her sessions on composting, reforestation, and biodiversity protection engaged rural communities in conservation. This is retained by Madagasikara Voakajy as a core community education resource and Chantia continues this programme today. |
 CLP mentee Selena Hernández promoted biodiversity-friendly farming in Nicaragua © Fauna & Flora in Nicaragua | Lisseth Solis tackled plastic pollution on sea turtle nesting beaches in Nicaragua. Her team organised clean-ups removing 200 kg of waste and repurposed 800 PET bottles into eco-brooms, creating a small circular-economy initiative and raising awareness about marine waste. This was adopted for replication in additional coastal communities by Fauna & Flora Nicaragua. Also in Nicaragua, Selena Hernández trained 90 local farming families in agroecology, reducing agrochemical use by nearly 50% and showing that biodiversity-friendly farming can benefit both people and wildlife. Her agroecology model is being shared through the cooperative’s ongoing projects and Fauna & Flora’s regional programme.
|
 CLP mentee Esther Githinji speaking at the first African Climate Summit in 2023 as part of her Career Placement © WILDLABS | In Kenya, Esther Githinji helped strengthen a regional community of conservation technologists through WILDLABS, earning a full-time role as their East Africa Conservation Technology Coordinator. Her digital outreach produced frameworks being replicated: WILDLABS East Africa technology engagement platform will continue to be used as national and regional models.
|
Combining science, innovation and creativity:
 CLP mentee Madalina Marian © ADEPT | Madalina Marian joined ADEPT Transylvania to coordinate grassland biodiversity monitoring across 40 sites, collecting soil samples and developing species identification tools for farmers. Her communication work helped ADEPT win the Youth–Biodiversity Award at Romania’s Climate Change Summit. Her participatory monitoring system using Mosaic Earth app was institutionalised by ADEPT, and the educational materials she produced continue to be used in farmer training sessions. |
 CLP mentee Sherrel Charles now has a permanent position at her host organisation © Environmental Awareness Group | In Antigua & Barbuda, Sherrel Charles brought creativity to conservation communication with the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG), leading 23 social media campaigns that reached nearly 70,000 people, and helping to protect sea turtles and the critically endangered Antiguan Racer. Sherrel was hired as EAG’s Science Communications Officer.
|
 CLP mentee Vincent Fibanda © East African Wildlife Society | Vincent Fibanda worked with the East African WildLife Society (EAWLS) in Kenya, developing carbon-management frameworks to align biodiversity conservation with carbon offset markets. He established a youth network under EAWLS to link young conservationists and students interested in environmental management, working to build capacity, promote collaboration, and support participation through national conservation events. Overall, his work helped EAWLS engage corporate partners and position itself for future climate funding. |
 CLP mentee Garry Auguiste holding a mountain chicken, a threatened giant frog native to Dominica © WildDominique | In Dominica, Garry Auguiste, a member of the Kalinago Indigenous community, combined science, culture, and storytelling to produce conservation videos that reached over 27,000 people and celebrated the island’s unique biodiversity. He continues to work with his host organisation, WildDominique, towards engaging local people on the biodiversity of Dominica, while researching and conserving native species. |
Contributing to endangered species recovery:
 | In Kyrgyzstan, Aigul Zhumabaeva supported Fauna & Flora’s restoration of the Western Tien Shan forests, focusing on endangered fruit and nut trees such as the Critically Endangered wild pear tree Pyrus korshinkyi. She created a seedling survival and growth monitoring template for reforestation projects with trials achieving 86% seedling survival. The tool remains in use for Fauna & Flora’s forest restoration programme in Kyrgyzstan. Aigul also trained local authorities in wildlife trade regulation and contributed to awareness activities on the endangered Aspiolucius esocinus in the Naryn River Basin. |
 CLP mentee Marcel Twagirarugaba now has a permanent position with his host organisation © International Gorilla Conservation Programme | Marcel Twagirarugaba worked in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, to support gorilla tracking and biodiversity monitoring with the International Gorilla Conservation Programme. His fieldwork contributed to data on gorilla group identification and anti-poaching efforts, vital for ongoing species recovery. He also had the opportunity to join CLP’s nine-day Conservation Management & Leadership workshop, held in October 2024 near his hometown in Rwanda.
|
A future fuelled by passion and partnership
As these young professionals continue their journeys, their collective impact ripples across ecosystems, communities, and continents, proving that with the right opportunity, one placement can change a career path, and the future of conservation.
Acknowledgements
For over a decade, Fondation Segré has supported 75 CLP Career Placements across 40 countries, hosted in CLP partner organisations of BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora, and WCS. Through its partnership with Fondation Segré, CLP has not only strengthened global conservation action, but it has cultivated a new generation of conservation leaders, each equipped with the skills, experience, and determination to protect nature and local heritage for years to come. CLP is hugely grateful to Fondation Segré for supporting the vital work of our Career Placement programme.
We also thank the host organisations, particularly the Career Placement supervisors, who provided such nurturing and stimulating professional environments for our mentees. Finally, we thank our mentees for their dedication, passion and drive throughout their placements.
To learn how you can contribute towards CLP’s mission to develop the next generation of conservation leaders, please get in touch with us at clp@birdlife.org