Hi everyone, I'm excited to be part of this community, and looking forward to connecting with you, learning from you, and supporting you in your valuable conservation work!

My own conservation journey started with grassroots volunteering with BTCV and ATCV (British & Australian Trusts for Conservation Volunteers) when I was a teenager.  I've done field research on 🦡 badgers in the UK, 🐵 gibbons in northern Vietnam, and 🦊 Ethiopian wolves in er, Ethiopia.  After finishing my PhD, I decided I could have greater impact in conservation through helping others to enhance their monitoring and research; especially in-country nationals who would be less hampered by cultural, language and political barriers than I.  So I shifted my focus from field research to evidence-based capacity building.  I set up and taught the WildCRU's PGDip in International Wildlife Conservation Practice, and developed online courses to open up learning opportunities to a wider range of practitioners.  I still miss being in the field, but I find teaching and empowering others deeply rewarding.

WildCRU at Oxford University was my base for a long time, but I now have my own company, VerdantLearn, which offers a range of support and training in conservation research and monitoring skills, e-learning design and deployment, and creating engaging virtual events.

I look forward to meeting you here,

Lucy

Badger image by Vincent van Zalinge