Blog

Read commentary and opinion pieces on conservation and capacity related themes provided by CLP staff and alumni.

Ten top tips for good project design

June 23, 2021
Last week, the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) hosted the first of a three-part public webinar series taking place throughout June 2021. In the webinar, experienced conservationist, fundraiser and CLP trainer, Maaike Manten, shared her ten top tips for designing good conservation projects. For those who missed it (or just fancy a recap), Maaike’s tips and […]

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Furry raiders: Saving the sacred langurs of Chamba

June 09, 2021
This blog was originally published on the Conservation Careers website, which can be found here. Written by Marie Conroy In this interview, communications specialist Marie Conroy speaks to Vishal Ahuja, a Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) alumnus and teacher turned conservationist, who has dedicated himself to protecting the sacred langurs of Chamba, an Endangered leaf monkey. […]

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Uncovering the secret lives of lesser-known carnivores in Bangladesh

March 19, 2021
By Muntasir Akash This article is adapted from a version originally published on The Revelator website, which can be found here. The crab-eating mongoose is one of many elusive carnivores found in the protected national parks of north-eastern Bangladesh © Muntasir Akash Years ago I decided to focus my research and conservation efforts on the […]

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Getting ahead of the game in conservation marketing

March 09, 2021
By Ellie Warren This article has been adapted from a version originally published on the WILDLABS conservation technology platform, which can be found here. In an interview with biologist-turned-social marketer, Diogo Veríssimo, WILDLABS explores his somewhat unconventional career path and gets his take on how tech mediums like mobile app games can lead to real-world impacts. […]

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Saving cancer-treating yew trees in Nepal

January 21, 2021
By Kumar Paudel, CLP alumnus and co-founder & Director of Greenhood Nepal Maire’s yew is a globally threatened tree with cancer-treating properties. In Nepal, the species is critically endangered nationally, with only a few hundred mature trees left in the wild. My team and I at Greenhood Nepal are currently on a mission to safeguard […]

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Approaching conservation as a system

October 29, 2020
By Henry Rees, CLP Programme Officer Not long ago, when I was at a very early stage in my career, I had quite straightforward beliefs about biodiversity conservation. Back then, I saw very little overlap between the human and ecological worlds. My understanding of conservation was simply that these worlds should be kept apart where […]

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How conservation can help prevent future pandemics

October 22, 2020
While the exact cause of the COVID-19 outbreak is still a matter of debate, the broad consensus is that at its origin is a coronavirus that occurs in wildlife (a zoonotic disease). There is also strong evidence to suggest that human actions enabled the causative coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, to jump from wild animals to people. In […]

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Taking the high road: a journey towards becoming a conservation leader

August 12, 2020
By Pramod Yadav Biodiversity conservation is a challenging task, especially when we consider the increasing dependence of rural communities on wildlife—both for consumption and for the commercial trade that so often supports their livelihoods. Ending the wildlife trade is likely to curb future zoonotic outbreaks and protect our precious ecosystems, but, as with any conservation […]

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COVID-19: A catastrophe or opportunity for pangolin conservation?

June 29, 2020
By Charles Emogor This blog was originally published on the PBS Nature website here. Charles Emogor and his PhD study species, the Endangered white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis). Photo credit: Charles Emogor. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, pangolins have been making headlines. These shy, quirky but cute mammals are one of the most heavily trafficked yet […]

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Empowering women in conservation

June 18, 2020
By Trang Nguyen, founder and Executive Director of WildAct As a woman working in wildlife conservation in Vietnam, it may (or may not) be surprising to hear that I have experienced gender inequality in the workplace. I had brushed it aside in the past as there was always “something more important to do.” Until last […]

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In Borneo, building a nest box — and a future for conservation

May 04, 2020
By Christina Imrich   This blog has been adapted from a version originally published on the Mongabay website, which can be found here.   The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Borneo is a regenerating forest, home to eight species of hornbills including populations of the Critically Endangered helmeted hornbills and Near Threatened rhinoceros hornbills. The loss […]

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From the Kalahari to the Atlantic Forest

December 09, 2019
By: Dirk Pienaar It was a pleasant surprise when I received the news that I was given the opportunity by the De Beers Group to attend CLP’s Conservation Management and Leadership course in Brazil. I would have a long journey from the Kalahari to the Atlantic Forest. In the end I can say it was […]

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Learning to lead like a wolf

September 12, 2019
By: Erica Cuyckens Erica Cuyckens is an Assistant Investigator in Argentina’s National Commission of Science and Technology (CONICET) and teaches natural sciences to PhD students at the National University of Jujuy in Argentina. As an alumna of the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP), she was accepted to attend our four-day “Creative Leadership for Conservation” course in […]

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From food source to friend

May 22, 2019
By: Rafid Shidqi “My dad catches this shark!” A little boy shouted his reply from the corner of the class in response to my question. My team and I were doing our outreach activities in two schools in Alor, Indonesia where local people target thresher sharks to sell and consume their meat. The rest of […]

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Where do the threshers go?

October 23, 2018
By: Rafid Shidqi “Hey, someone has a shark! It’s Bapak Tami!” I barely heard the fisher’s shout. The wind was quite strong and the noise from the small solar-engine in our wooden boat made it hard to hear anything clearly. Pak Mark Erdmann, our supervisor from Conservation International Asia Pacific, was here that day, along […]

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