By: Jayant Sarnaik

People of the indigenous community ‘Mahadeo Koli’ have lived within the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary (BWLS) for hundreds of years. They have rich traditional knowledge and rely on the land and forests for food and income. As an Important Bird Area in the northern Western Ghats of India, the sanctuary is also home to abundant biodiversity including hundreds of endemic plants, birds and mammals.

In recent years, pressure has been increasing both on the local people and on the local biodiversity. When the sanctuary was established in 1985, shifting cultivation became illegal. Shifting cultivation is a practice where an area of land is clear-cut and farmed until the land is no longer fertile. At that stage, a new area is cleared and farming shifts while the first plot is naturally restored. If not managed properly, the practice has negative consequences for conservation: key habitat can be lost and species suffer. In addition, BWLS is a famous pilgrim destination. Every year, over 500,000 tourists from all over India visit the sanctuary. These pilgrimages put additional pressure on the forests.

Communities that were dependent on harvests from shifting agriculture became economically vulnerable. For the younger generation, job options can be further limited due to lack of education. As a result, many young people migrate to nearby urban areas to seek employment.

Since 2007, a team of four people working for the Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF), with many other partners (the S. P. Jain Institute for Management Research, Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE) and Credit Suisse volunteers), have developed new approaches to balance the needs of communities with conservation in Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. Having won all three awards from CLP (2007, 2009, 2016) the team has used its training and funding to develop and implement an innovative strategy that helps conserve wildlife and provides economic benefits to vulnerable indigenous community members.

This strategy involves asking community members to be part of a Conservation Agreement. By signing an agreement, communities gain access to alternative livelihood opportunities. In return, community members agree to let their land regenerate and to use resources from it in such a way that sustains, rather than degrades, the forest. An example of this occurred in early 2017 when the CLP team proposed a Conservation Agreement to Mr Devram Sagaji Lohokare (age 65) and his family, who had lost the right to practise shifting cultivation on their land in the sanctuary and were searching for a new livelihood.

The CLP team had already undertaken a detailed biodiversity survey of the forest with a focus on the presence of endemic birds. Part of this area included Mr Lohokare’s land. The team sighted 46 bird species during the survey, four of which were endemic – the white-cheeked barbet, white-bellied blue flycatcher, crimson-backed sunbird and Nilgiri wood pigeon.  They found evidence of other important wildlife in the forest, too, including several nesting sites of the Indian giant squirrel and natural beehives. Most importantly, the forest has a water body used by many species. Having discovered that the land was vital for so many species, the CLP team approached Mr Lohokare and his family to consult with them about the prospect of entering into a Conservation Agreement.

During the conversation, the CLP team learned that one of the family members, Tanaji Dhondu Lohokare, was looking for employment. The family was also in need of some vital household utensils. Under the terms of the Conservation Agreement, in return for letting his land regenerate, the team was able to assist Mr. Lohokare and his family with their needs. The CLP team agreed to help train Tanaji Lohokare in conservation and ecotourism and thereby assist him with finding employment. They also agreed to provide the family with much needed utensils including a household stove-heater and solar-powered battery chargers. The agreement was prepared in the local language so that everyone would be able to understand it, and so that Mr Lohokare could help spread the message to others about this approach.

In March 2017, Laura Owens, a CLP staff member based at Fauna & Flora International, visited BWLS. She watched as this agreement was signed. She reflects: “I enjoyed seeing the beautiful bird species already flourishing there and saw first-hand how the land is already starting to regenerate into a good secondary forest.” Through this Conservation Agreement, the CLP team has ensured the conservation of 57 acres of community forest for the next ten years. The team is slowly setting up and entering into new agreements with other community members to create a system that benefits both people and wildlife. To date, 100 acres of land have been protected by seven agreements.

As a separate but related initiative, the CLP team, in collaboration with AERF and DICE, set up an international certification scheme called FAIRWILD in 2015. Local community members who follow certain practices to protect biodiversity achieve the certification and can thereby sell non-timber forest products for a price that is about 70% greater than for non-certified products. Together with the Conservation Agreements, this certification scheme will continue to improve income opportunities for local families going forward.

I had the pleasure of managing the Conservation Leadership Programme’s (CLP) 2017 Conservation Management & Leadership Workshop in Sulawesi, Indonesia from June 28 – July 13. This training course brought together 21 rising conservation leaders who, throughout two weeks, gained not only practical skills and knowledge, but an increase in confidence, motivation, and an awareness of their strengths as leaders in this field. Allow me to introduce you to a few of our rising leaders who use their strengths to inspire change from the roots up. Meeting them has certainly inspired me!

Niomi Pridina is a rising conservation leader in Indonesia

“I bring a sense of excitement to face challenges in my work. This allows me to stay positive throughout the project as I adapt to changes. The CLP training course helped me understand my inner strength and build a strong global network with other leaders in conservation.” Niomi is part of the 2017 CLP project “Using light to reduce mobula ray by-catch in Indonesia’s small-scale fisheries.”

Alfonso Hernández Ríos is a rising conservation leader in Mexico

“I bring passion and innovation to my work. These strengths allow me to try different paths as I look for new solutions to current conservation issues. I appreciated the CLP training course because it provided me with tools to improve my conservation decisions and allowed me to build bridges within a network of committed conservationists.” Alfonso is part of the 2017 CLP project “Conservation status of Craveri’s murrelet in Mexico.”

Zoya Irshad Tyabji is a rising conservation leader in India

“I bring commitment and focus to my work. These strengths allow me to be diligent and pursue my goals, especially in difficult situations when the odds are against me. The CLP training course helped in both my personal and professional growth. I became more confident, aware and appreciative. I also gained valuable knowledge about leadership styles, project planning, stakeholder engagement, and behavior change which will help in the current project and future endeavors.” Zoya is part of the 2017 CLP project “Assessing the status of threatened elasmobranchs in the Andamans, India,” funded by Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.

Abdulrahman Rashid Mubarak Al Hinai is a rising conservation leader in Oman

“Two of my leadership strengths are self-motivation and the ability to work as a team player. These qualities allow me to motivate other project members to achieve the best results we can. I appreciated the CLP training course because it gave me the opportunity to identify my strengths and share them with the group. The training provided tools that helped me become a better leader, for example by understanding the unique strengths of each person on the team and the value of using these strengths to improve the project.” Abdulrahman is part of the 2017 CLP project “Conservation assessment of Arabian dragon tree (Dracaena serrulata) in Oman,” funded by the Global Trees Campaign.

Chaona Gertrude Phiri is a rising conservation leader in Zambia

“I bring focus, determination, and persistence to my work. These strengths allow me to get my hands dirty with my team and keep pushing until we achieve our goal. I appreciated the CLP training course because it proved a very rare opportunity to be with people within my age group, with the same passion I have for biodiversity conservation and facing the same challenges that I face. Although we are all working in different countries, our problems are the same. In addition to having the training itself, I also got a lot of helpful tips from my new friends on how to deal with some of my challenges.” Chaona is part of a 2017 project funded by the BirdLife/Birdfair Young Conservation Leaders Award. The title of her project is “Assessing breeding probability of slaty egrets (Egretta vinaceigula) on the Barotse Floodplain, Zambia.”

The Conservation Leadership Programme is a partnership of three non-government organizations including the Wildlife Conservation Society, Fauna & Flora International, and BirdLife International. Drawing upon the expertise of conservation professionals from across the globe, CLP directs project funding and training to early career leaders from developing countries who are tackling priority conservation challenges. Over more than 30 years, CLP has provided important career stepping stones to over 2,600 individuals who now form an extensive global network of conservation practitioners.

We appreciate the support of our donors whose investment has made this training possible. Our donors include: BP plc, American Express Foundation, Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, the Global Trees Campaign, and the British Birdfair.

From March 10-14, 2017 the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) ran a leadership training course for conservationists in Asia. We gathered in the misty, karst peaks of Yangshuo, China. Twenty-two participants from the Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International, National Geographic Society, and the CLP alumni network contributed valuable experience and left with a set of tools to take more leadership action for conservation. Participants also went home with a stronger network of conservation peers. Read this blog by participant Huang Qiaowen for a taste of her experience in Yangshuo.

How time flies! Since our departure from the CLP leadership course in Yangshuo two months ago, we have gone back to our daily lives. I have returned to my fieldwork, fund-raising and communications responsibilities, and everything seems normal. But deep in my mind, something has changed as a result of my experience with CLP. I can still remember the days we spent together.

To wake up awareness of ourselves on the first day, Mo, the lead facilitator, asked us to answer two questions: “How do you feel today?” and “What are you looking forward to today?” It happened to be my 30^th birthday. Red-whiskered bulbuls were singing outside, unfamiliar classmates sat around me, and I felt that it was a fresh and meaningful start for me.

I have been a conservationist with the Chinese Felid Conservation Alliance (CFCA) since April 2016, taking charge of communication and funding work. As a fresh bird in this field, I used to be unsure of myself, and question whether I was qualified enough to be a good leader. Could I be a good leader after the course?

Contrary to my expectations, Mo offered me a different perspective:

• Not everyone will be in a leadership position, but everyone is a leader;
• Leadership doesn’t come from a title, but from every single action;
• There are thousands of good leaders out there, but everyone has their own leadership style.

Mo is such a wonderful tutor with good methods and an inspiring character. Before illustrating these interesting ideas, she would raise questions first. On the very first day, she asked us to carry out a Q&A process in pairs.

I asked my partner Yanjing: “What is exciting about being a leader?” “I could organise things as I want,” she said. Now it was my turn to answer the same question. “Erm……”. I had never really thought about why I would like to be a leader, but Yanjing’s answer inspired me. “I think the power of title does interest me, the ability to make decisions, to dictate schedules, and to reduce the pressure I feel.”

We found a new partner for the next question and Mo asked loudly: “What is really exciting about being a leader?” My partner was Xiaoxi. This time, I had a clue and replied, “Exploring and working with good colleagues is the one side that’s really appealing to me.”

After everyone had a turn to answer the questions we went back to our large circle. Everyone could feel the effect of asking the same question twice. Mo explained: “The first answer you give is usually general, what most people think about. When the question is asked again you are pushed another step forward and you can come to realise what you are really interested in. The communication between partners can offer you a different way to think.”

Mo led us through another exercise to help us think about our personal leadership style. Before the course, I didn’t think there was more than one kind of leadership style.

As an introduction, we were asked to list qualities of a good leader. We quickly came to see that the ideal leader looks different to each person. Our imagination quickly covered an A3 sheet of paper with traits like: gives direction, well-organised, encouraging, idea generator, healthy, responsible, understanding, resourceful, influential, etc. Without doubt, these qualities couldn’t all be found in one person. So, what kind of qualities does each of us have? What kind of potential leadership style are we striving for?

Mo asked us a series of questions that allowed us to align ourselves with one of four leadership styles: driver, analyst/architect, relationship master and spontaneous motivator.

What the exercise explained was such a relief to me. I can be a good leader by being myself – there are strengths to my personal style and I can adapt and grow by trying different styles. We used this tool to think about the strengths and weakness in our teams. It helped us think of more constructive ways to work together.

Instead of selling us the theory, Mo always encouraged us to explore answers based on our experiences, to search for our own strengths. Sometimes in class, I would feel myself grow, like a small tree with stronger roots. Through this exercise, and others, I have come to appreciate that I can always be inspired by others’ thoughts and suggestions. The magic power of this programme came not only from Mo, but from the sharing and mutual learning process among all the participants.

Environmental protection is a complicated mission. All participants are facing similar problems about development direction, relationship management, as well as funding issues. Our common challenges and goals made sharing experiences so useful for all of us on the course.

Thank you Mo and Christina, and all of my classmates. I am 100% sure that was a perfect start for the rest of my life after 30.

Maureen ‘Mo’ Ryan of Conservation Science Partners was the lead instructor on the course. Facilitation and logistical support was provided by Christina Imrich, WCS staff. This course was made possible thanks to the generous support of the American Express Foundation.

Who wants to read about workshops, training, and the minutiae of how to plan and fund a conservation project? In the eyes of the uninitiated, the interest value of subjects like that is up there with watching grass grow. And yet, they represent the nuts and bolts of conservation, without which there would be far fewer people out there equipped to help safeguard those very species that tend to pique the interest of the typical wildlife enthusiast.

Capacity building may not be at the glamorous end of the conservation spectrum, but try telling that to the participants of the three consecutive annual workshops on project planning and fundraising that the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) has co-led with Fauna & Flora International (FFI).

Funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), this trio of workshops was aimed at early-career conservationists working, or planning to work, in Key Biodiversity Areas across the so-called Eastern Afromontane Hotspot. Held respectively in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Rwanda from 2014 to 2016, these five-day intensive programmes have been instrumental in transforming the career prospects of participants from a dozen countries across Africa and had a demonstrable impact on their ability to generate additional funding for their vital work.

The training provided a unique opportunity for aspiring conservation leaders to come face to face to discuss their research, meet and ‘sell’ their projects to real donors, and provide each other with new perspectives on how to tackle the challenges they routinely encounter. The outcomes for conservation are tangible, bringing in funding where it is most urgently needed and thereby enabling high-priority conservation projects to be delivered.

Crowning glory

Dessalegn Obsi Gemeda, head of the Department of Natural Resource Management at Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, participated in the 2014 Ethiopia workshop. The opportunity to network with other conservation working groups has since proved invaluable, particularly for peer review of proposals before submission. He subsequently used the skills and knowledge he acquired at the workshop to apply for funding from Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation. In February 2015 Rufford approved his application for a project entitled Enhancing the Conservation of the Vulnerable Black Crowned Crane in Limu Districts of Jimma Zone. The Case of Ethiopia. The following year, Rufford was sufficiently impressed with the results to approve a follow-up project on the same species.

“I am proud of my project,” says Dessalegn, who addressed the issue of black-crowned crane conservation through public outreach work that included training, workshops and focused group discussions. “Several hundred community members, several governmental authorities from Chora Boter District and thousands of students at different levels gained awareness about the importance of conserving the black-crowned crane and its habitat. Above all, I [was able to send a strong] message to several million people on the issue of conservation by getting national media coverage through television and radio via the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.”

Show me the Chimanimani money

Mike Nyamucherera, Research Associate and Stakeholder Engagement Manager at the University of Zimbabwe’s Centre for Applied Social Sciences, attended the Maputo workshop in 2015. Mike’s work is currently focused on one of Zimbabwe’s three cycad species, all of which are threatened with extinction: “Zimbabwean cycads have had a rather sad story because of the mushrooming of the lucrative landscaping industry. There has been a silent scramble for many years in the Eastern Highlands to collect these cycads and some collectors even smuggled cycads out of the country.”

As its name implies, Encephalartos chimanimaniensis is mainly confined to the Chimanimani Mountains on the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, though it also occurs in the adjacent Chipinge Highlands. In an effort to gain a better understanding of its distribution, abundance and long-term survival prospects, Mike is undertaking a comprehensive survey of the Chimanimani cycad’s population status, and has succeeded in raising almost £5,000 from the Rufford Small Grants programme in support of this work.

“Participating in the 2015 workshop was a unique experience that helped me to rearrange my priorities as a young social ecologist. The workshop has helped me to be proactive in seeking conservation funding to make a difference, a responsibility usually relegated to government departments and non-governmental organisations that have natural resources management mandates. Apart from unlocking my skills in fundraising for conservation, my network is now richer with young conservationists from both the Southern African region and my country, [which allows] cross pollination of conservation ideas.”

Changing the destiny of Providence

Providence Akayezu, a lecturer at Kitabi College of Conservation and Environmental Management in Rwanda, was a participant in the most recent workshop in October 2016: ‘’It was great to sharpen my skills in developing a smart project proposal, and find out more about project development phases and activities, and searching and staying in touch with a warm donor.’’ Following the workshop, Providence has continually networked with fellow participants and with FFI staff in order gain access to more funding opportunities. She has also delivered a wildlife management course to around 100 hundred students at her college. She is now in a position to submit a project proposal to National Geographic Society that aims to evaluate the impact of the revenue sharing programme on people’s livelihoods around Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park. We wish her every success.

With every passing year, the network has grown wider and stronger, enabling more and more early-career conservationists like Providence, Mike and Dessalegn to compare notes on the tools of their trade, share best practice and generate vital funding for their work. Try asking them whether workshops are interesting!

Chandra Rasiardhy is a member of the Indonesia team that won a 2016 Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) Follow-up Award for its project, Promoting sustainable fishing in Sumbawa. Translated into English by his colleague Ida Ansharyani, this is Chandra’s personal account of his experience during the two-week international training course in which he recently participated.

It makes me very happy when I look back on the CLP training in Canada – a very beautiful country. Meeting other fantastic people concerned with the environment who had come from all over the world was an extraordinary life journey. This was beyond the wildest dreams and expectations of the son of a fisherman like me, living on the undeveloped Sumbawa Island in Indonesia. Of course, I was worried a lot about joining the training. This was my first overseas trip and my first experience of international training, and my English is not good. My head kept telling me to abandon the whole idea, but deep inside my heart, I wanted to just close my eyes and jump in, and enjoy the experience for what it was. I wanted to have something great to tell my little brothers, to make my late mother proud of me, and to have lots of funny and ridiculous stories to tell my fisher family and friends, but also to prove to myself and to others that everything in life is possible, no matter who you are.

The two weeks of CLP training was the best experience of my life, for sure. I will always recall the warm feeling of socialising with new friends from other countries who were very kind to me. I always looked forward to waking up in the morning, having breakfast and then checking in before starting to study. I really liked the check-in activities: games, yoga and sharing with others what’s in our heart and mind. I would have never thought that such simple activities as those could really energise you despite the long hours of studying. Remembering all of the new and very kind friends that I made there, I miss them so much now. I keep hoping that there will be a chance someday in my life to meet them all again.

This was truly a life-changing experience for me. I learned many new important things from this training about leadership and other skills. The methods of learning were so easy to understand and to apply in real conservation work. I learned about project planning, how gender issues should be incorporated into conservation, how to work with other stakeholders, and much more besides. One thing that I really enjoyed was that we always had games after class sessions, which was such fun.

After the training I felt really energised and motivated to apply all the things I had learned to our ongoing CLP project. I am more confident now to take on a bigger role in our project and in other conservation initiatives. I would like to share many of my experiences and the knowledge gained from this training with my team members and other young people. I have a vision that many young people will be more knowledgeable and aware of the need to protect their marine resources and that they will be more capable of initiating conservation action that will improve the lives of the fisher community as well as conserving the marine environment. I hope that I can keep achieving things for conservation in the future. I hope that, in time, I will also improve my English, so that the language will become much easier for me.

Oh my! I still cannot believe that this CLP training experience was real! I often think that I must have been dreaming and that it was a very nice and long dream from which I never wanted to wake up. This is totally crazy! Thanks so much, CLP!

A Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) networking grant award enabled alumnus Anirban Dutta Gupta and fellow film-maker Priyanka Kuriakose to meet CLP project teams in India and create two short conservation films. This is their account of how that journey unfolded.

As the millionth leech slowly and determinedly climbed up my leg looking for a succulent spot to sink its teeth, I wondered – not for the first time – whether it would have been better to sit in an air-conditioned office making PowerPoint presentations. No sooner had the thought wandered into my mind than it was shot down. Being a film-maker may have its challenges, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

On this particular shoot I was lying flat on my stomach on the side of the Anaimalai Hills in Western Ghats, India, waiting with bated breath to spot one of the rarest frogs in the world. The rain pattered down with ominous determination, the leeches had settled into their favourite spots, the cicadas raised their screeches in a crescendo and the mist wafted up the hill slope covering everything in a blanket of white. My partner in crime Priyanka Kuriakose valiantly tried to keep the camera dry while hopping from leg to leg, a vain attempt to confuse the leeches.

Filming wildlife is never easy and this shoot was no different. But how did we find ourselves here?

Like most beginnings in Mumbai, our journey started on a local suburban train that India’s entire population seemed to be trying to board. Amidst this sea of humanity, we hit on the idea of making series of short films on some very special people who have been working for months – and sometimes years – to help protect unique flora and fauna on the cusp of extinction. At the forefront of this effort has been the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP), supporting these conservationists with funds and training.

As a CLP alumnus myself, I am familiar with the challenges of fieldwork and achieving change for biodiversity. During our 2008 CLP project to protect the lesser florican through community participation, we experienced the power of film. Combined with other audio-visual formats, film works impressively well in imparting complex and often intangible conservation messages in India, a country with high illiteracy rates and a culture engrained in moving media.

Priyanka and I had a vision to film CLP projects to record for posterity the great work done by dedicated individuals and to use these films for environmental education, fundraising and awareness raising. With CLP networking grant support, we had our chance to do just this. We had enough funds to feature two of the 50 Indian projects that have been supported by CLP since 1985. Like a kid in a candy shop, we wanted to film them all! We eventually made a shortlist and contacted the project teams to check on the feasibility of filming with regard to location, season, scope of the project and permissions.

The two projects finally selected were ‘Conservation of otters through community participation in River Moyar, Tamil Nadu’ led by Kannadasan Narsimmarajan, and ‘Conservation of the Critically Endangered toad-skinned frog in India’ led by Arun Kanagavel.

Both Kannadasan and Arun were extremely excited about the film shoots and didn’t hesitate to offer their help. At the time they did not realise that this would entail waking up every day at the crack of dawn, climbing trees and sliding down rocks and being damp and hungry for extended periods of time. We kept quiet about the hardship bits, naturally.

The subjects and their terrain were different, and so were the challenges. The otters are dynamic subjects, full of life and energy but extremely challenging to shoot as they are fast moving and sensitive to human presence. While not as nimble as otters, toad-skinned frogs are very difficult to spot and occur only in a few places.

However, the biggest challenge was the weather. Arun informed us that we needed a few good monsoon showers to see the frogs. Kannadasan worried that too much rain would flood the Moyar River, making it difficult to shoot the otters. A bit of meteorological brainstorming fortified with cups of strong coffee gave us a few best-guess dates for filming. Alongside this, the final script was developed with essential inputs from Arun, Kannadasan and CLP.

Script: check. Equipment: check. Tickets: check. Permissions: check. Weather: umm…

Our first stop was Masengudi near Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, through which the serene Moyar River flows. Kannadasan and his team are plotting the occupancy of otters along this river to better understand and plan the conservation policy. And so we waited for the otters to show up. By the dam, by the river, between the boulders, behind the bush, between leeches and amongst flies…. We waited.

In between the vigils we covered our other shoots – the outreach programme, the interviews, the landscape. But there were no otters in sight and time was running out. As a last hope, we set up by the old watchtower and as the late afternoon heat was having its soporific effect, an excited yell from Kannadasan woke us up. The otters had been sighted! A large group swam into view, dipping in and out of the water for a magical show that lasted the whole afternoon. The hours of frustrated waiting had been worthwhile.

With this experience still in our mind we reluctantly packed up and headed off to film the second project in the mist-covered Anaimalai hills, amidst the tea estates and the ‘shola’ forests. Our rendezvous was with Arun Kanagavel, the young researcher leading the effort to study the myriad amphibians of the Western Ghats and in particular the toad-skinned frog, found only in this part of the hills.

Small and toad-like, the frogs were extremely difficult to find and, once spotted, their small size made them a technically challenging subject to shoot. Reaching the location was another task in itself – Arun and Sethu Parvathy made the steep climb look maddeningly easy while we huffed and puffed one step at a time. Every rest was an invitation for a leech invasion.

As with the otters, it was only on the last day that we managed to find the toad-skinned frog. With the footage wrapped up we headed back to Mumbai to edit and create short films. Once completed, the final versions were shared online and on social media. Soon after we finished the otter film it was shown by Kannadasan and his team at the 13^th International Otter Congress in Singapore.

For us, these films were an opportunity to put our theories into action – create structured and designed communication about conservation projects for impactful dissemination. We made wonderful friends, experienced incredible landscapes and came face to face with some of the most enigmatic species on the planet.

We hope you enjoy our films: Waterdogs of Moyar and The Frog Chronicles.

We cannot wait to pack for the next trip and another set of films – leeches and all!

You’ve all heard the joke about buses; you wait ages for one to arrive, then several turn up at once. For the vast majority of conservationists, however, awards tend to be more like telephone engineers; you wait years for one to arrive…and they never turn up at all. In this context, it is gratifying to witness so many people with Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) connections bucking the trend, particularly in the first half of 2016.

In recent years, CLP alumni have regularly picked up awards. Julie Hanta Razafimanahaka, Director of Madagasikara Voakajy, first joined this Malagasy NGO as a volunteer researcher on a CLP-funded bat conservation project. She quickly established herself as one of Madagascar’s most promising conservationists, a reputation cemented in her current role. Julie was the recipient of a 2014 Marsh Award, which recognises inspiring individuals who are having a profound impact in their chosen conservation sphere, and won the 2015 Young Women in Conservation Biology Award.

Patricia Davis, another 2014 Marsh Award winner, co-founded ‘Community Centred Conservation’ (known as C3), whose ‘Dugongs for Life’ project received a coveted Conservation Leadership Award worth US$50,000.

President and co-founder of Peruvian NGO ProDelphinus and recipient of three successive CLP awards, Joanna Alfaro Shigueto (2015 Marsh Award for Marine Conservation Leadership) has led the way in the development of sustainable small-scale fisheries and protection of marine wildlife throughout the south-eastern Pacific Ocean.

Mirza Kusrini, another 2015 Marsh Award winner, has gradually metamorphosed into one of the leading authorities on amphibians in Indonesia, greatly increasing awareness in her home country about the importance of frogs and their role in the ecosystem.

Golden year

This year has seen CLP alumni positively showered with glittering prizes.

Yufang Gao, a dynamic young conservationist whose meteoric rise to prominence began with a CLP internship at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in 2008, is currently at the helm of an NGO in his native China, a country sorely in need of environmental enthusiasts. The year of the monkey is rapidly evolving into the year of the award ceremony for Gao, who has picked up a 2016 Marsh Award and National Geographic Society’s coveted Emerging Explorer award in quick succession.

Uruguay’s Alejandro Fallabrino, winner of the 2016 Marsh Award for Marine Conservation Leadership, is a more seasoned campaigner with three successive CLP awards to his name. He has been making waves in marine conservation for nearly 30 years, and founded local NGO Karumbé, which played a key role in establishing his country’s first Marine Protected Area.

Three CLP alumni – Gilbert Adum, Alex Rukhaia and Makala Jasper – featured among the winners of this year’s Whitley Fund for Nature Awards, affectionately known as the ‘Green Oscars’.

Co-founder of SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana, Gilbert Adum was born into a hunting community, but broke the mould by dedicating himself to the conservation of endangered amphibians like the giant squeaker frog.

Alex Rukhaia, the first Georgian ever nominated for a Whitley Award, is working with local communities in his home country to change attitudes to migrating raptors that are traditionally shot or captured for falconry.

Co-founder and CEO of the Mpingo Conservation & Development initiative, Makala Jasper is at the forefront of efforts to conserve Tanzania’s forest and woodland habitats. Makala barely had time to polish his 2016 Whitley Award before he found himself flying to Washington DC, where he collected the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in African Conservation. Appropriately enough, the size of the prize matched the enormous prestige attached to it, presenting Makala with a novel conservation challenge – how to squeeze the award into his carry-on baggage on the return flight.

Geographically widespread and taxonomically varied, the projects that gave rise to all these awards underline CLP’s global reach and broad species remit – turtles in South America, snow leopards in China, raptors in Georgia, East African forests and West African amphibians are among the many beneficiaries of the individual dedication and collective commitment that these awards serve to highlight.

Conservation is the real winner

Ultimately, it is this collective commitment that makes the difference. Makala and Gao would be the first to acknowledge the countless unsung conservation heroes who go above and beyond the call of duty without ever receiving the recognition their efforts deserve. That includes the local communities in whose hands the long-term fate of all these species and habitats ultimately lies.

But these people need to be inspired in the first place, and it is individuals like Gao and Makala who provide the spark to ignite others’ enthusiasm and galvanise them into collective action. That is what makes them special.

Conservationists do not need awards to tell them that they are doing a valuable job, and you would struggle to find anyone working in this field whose primary motivation was to garner plaudits. But these public tokens of esteem don’t just recognise the recipients. By putting conservationists and their projects in the global spotlight, they raise local, national and international awareness about the vital importance of doing this work in the first place.

They also, it is worth noting, enhance reputations and open doors to new sources of funding, which in turn enables conservationists like Makala and Gao to do more of what they do best. In that sense, these awards are worth their weight in gold.