Introducing a new generation of conservation leaders: Vena Kapoor

I worked with Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) in India since 2003 first as a researcher and then as a manager. Soon after completing a Masters in Ecology from Pondicherry University, I joined NCF’s rainforest restoration programme where I carried out monitoring and restoration of rainforest fragments, planned and executed conservation education programmes and undertook research on using spiders as a bio-indicator group. In 2006, I took on an administrative role in the head office while producing two children’s books on wildlife and conservation. During this time I also worked on a joint UNDP project examining the post tsunami effects on wildlife and on the sustenance of the locally affected people along India’s coastline. For the last 2 years I have been part of the Executive Board of NCF as Programme Manager heading the management and financial team. Conservation organizations today require people who are not only trained in the conservation sciences but also have a good understanding and awareness of economic drivers, social sciences and management aspects. I therefore decided to undertake this course for which I was awarded a scholarship by the Ravi Sankaran Inlaks Fellowship Programme. I hope that this M.Phil will augment my knowledge and enhance my capability to lead conservation organisations in India successfully. A list of some of my publications can be found here.