Introducing a new generation of conservation leaders: Robert Sassor

"Raised in the State of Oregon, USA, I have long had an interest in social engagement with nature. I studied pelagic tar and plastic pollution in the Sargasso during six weeks at sea. In Tanzania, I coordinated the conservation action plan for the Greater Gombe Ecosystem and its famous chimpanzees, and co-coordinated the conservation plan for the Masito Ugalla landscape while fostering adaptive management expertise among local stakeholders. One of my most inspirational experiences was collaborating with stakeholders to develop a wildfire prevention campaign that incorporated local values associated with fire, in an effort to reduce the unsustainable incidence of wildfires in two regions of Tanzania. This experience enabled me to capitalize on my twin passions of conservation and communications. During my years as an English major at Willamette University and subsequently as a researcher and ghost writer on environmental themes, I learned that environmental literature can play an important role in shaping public opinion. I come to Cambridge to examine the methods for determining environmental values and their roots in order to develop conservation plans and communications grounded in the environmental values of the constituencies concerned, particularly among coastal communities."

Introducing a new generation of conservation leaders: Sushmita Mandal

"I gained an MA in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, in 2002, and have worked on natural resource management and governance in India for 8 years. I was project officer for the Foundation for Ecological Security, and spent 4 years working on community-based natural resource management and governance in the State of Orissa. I also raised funds to reconcile conservation and livelihoods issues in the Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary, now an elephant and tiger reserve in the Eastern Ghats. I joined the Conservation & Livelihoods Programme of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore in 2006. I was responsible for strengthening interdisciplinary research on human-landscape interactions in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats. I undertook participatory mapping exercises with the Soligas, the resident tribal community, and analyzed available policy spaces to advocate for protected area co-management.

I hope the MPhil in Conservation Leadership will hone my skills to link local realities and contexts to global processes. I hope the course will gain me a nuanced understanding of conservation issues and apply them through practice and policy advocacy in South Asia."

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.

Introducing a new generation of conservation leaders: Joy Juma

"I gained a BSc in Environmental Studies, with a focus on community development, at Kenyatta University in Kenya in 2004. Before coming to Cambridge, I worked for Fauna and Flora International for over 5 years in their East African office. I was involved in managing several conservation projects within East Africa, and my role was to ensure that livelihood issues were considered in all projects. I was also keen to ensure that communities were involved in managing their own resources. This approach was shown to be very effective through successful interventions in a bat conservation project in Tanzania. Here, an endemic fruit bat that was previously assessed as critically endangered was down-listed to vulnerable because of a significant increase in population numbers as a result of effective community conservation efforts. Another innovative project in which I was involved was a marine project on the Kenyan coast, where we helped communities to set up community conserved areas covering both the marine and terrestrial areas, that we also hope will prove to be an effective conservation intervention. I have also acquired some additional training in environmental journalism, communication and in sustainable livelihood approaches."

Introducing a new generation of conservation leaders: Julie Griffin

"I earned my bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy at Duke University in the US. I have worked for the past 4.5 years at IUCN’s headquarters in the Species Programme. I focussed on communications, project coordination and was most recently Network Support Officer for the Species Survival Commission (SSC), helping with the work of the SSC’s Specialist Groups. My work has involved IUCN Red List workshops, CBD policy work, communications, fundraising, and facilitating international meetings. I have been closely involved in the work of SSC’s Marine Committee and much of my work has focussed on IUCN’s policy input to the CBD Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

I am especially interested in learning more about priority setting and how local dialogue and participation contributes to long-term conservation outcomes. Through the MPhil in Conservation Leadership, I aim to broaden my career focus from supporting policy-focused species work to leading other facets of conservation, particularly in the field.

Beyond work and studies, I try to get outside as much as possible, to hike, rock climb, back-country ski, and scuba dive. It may come as no surprise that I am most passionate about conservation issues facing mountain and coastal areas and communities."

Introducing a new generation of conservation leaders: Shantanu Goel

"I see myself leading a nature conservation organisation, working towards sustainable development of villages in protected areas of India. While my undergraduate degree at the University of Pune was in economics, my graduate degree, also at the University of Pune, was in ecology and biodiversity. Professional and volunteer work has further enhanced my skills. Initially, I was involved in wildlife and human impact research for the Indian Government. I then worked as a volunteer with local chapters of not-for-profit organisations such as WWF-India and Centre for Environment Education, and was involved in environmental education and promoting wildlife conservation.

I have also carried out wasteland development through watershed management and organic farming. I believe that conservation of natural resources, when directly linked to much-needed economic progress for marginalised communities, can promote long-term sustainable development. I aim to work on issues, cost-benefit analysis and outcomes related to participatory or joint forest management systems and the role they have played in conserving biodiversity. Documenting the outcomes of relocation/displacement of villages from the protected areas of India also interests me, as it could provide some understanding of the effects they have on conservation of species such as tigers."

Introducing a new generation of conservation leaders: Franciso Oliveira Filho

"I am a biologist with a Masters Degree in Landscape Ecology from the University of Sao Paulo-Brazil, in which I explored the relationships between Amazon forest fragmentation and biodiversity conservation from a landscape perspective. I subsequently joined the development of the Surveillance System for the Brazilian Amazon Region-Sivam Project. In 2002, I started work with the Brazilian Environment Agency, and in 6 years became Vice-Director of Environment Protection. In this time, I participated in the development and implementation of the strategic plan Brazilian Government Plan for Deforestation Reduction and Control in the Amazon, which was crucial for the expressive reduction of deforestation in the past six years.

My next challenge was as head of the Protected Areas Program at WWF-Brazil, where I participated in the Brazilian Government Amazon Protected Areas Program (ARPA). This multi-institutional programme of the World Bank, KFW- Germany Bank, GTZ-German Cooperation, WWF, Brazilian Federal Government, Amazon States Government and civil society, had as its main goal, protection of biodiversity in the Amazon Biome by consolidating a representative portion of protected areas. My main interests in biodiversity conservation include systematic conservation planning, and tropical forest monitoring, particularly in the Amazon."