Thirza Loffeld (She/Her)
WildHub Founder, WildHub Conservation Community
- Member directory
- Netherlands
About Thirza Loffeld
My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity exchange. I researched mother-young interactions in gorillas and chimpanzees, in captivity and the wild. After that, I worked for three years in Indonesia, where I developed and implemented youth ambassador and community engagement programmes on local and regional scales. I co-founded WildHub, a community of nature conservation professionals, in 2020 and work as their Community Lead. I am furthermore on the Advisory Board of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent where I obtained my PhD on capacity development for conservation in 2022.
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Areas of expertise
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Intro Content
Capacity development in nature conservation: New approaches to strengthen individual professionals
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Lessons learned
Capacity development in nature conservation: New approaches to strengthen individual professionals
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Topics
Channels contributed to:
Capacity development Professional development Events & Network opportunities Diversity, equity, inclusionRooms participated in:
Women in Conservation Canterbury Network Konservasi di Indonesia Training opportunities Conservation and Covid-19Recent Discussions
Learn how to approach a potential contributor with confidence and respect.
Hello Catalysts! 🌿This week we’re moving into Module 2: Find and connect with your contributor.
Please share:
The person you hope to interview
Whether you need an introduction
Any progress so far (replies, challenges)
If reaching out feels daunting, you’re not alone — just let us know and we can support you.
🌿 Buddy Finder — Optional Support Space for Catalysts
Welcome to the Buddy Finder space!If you’d like to connect with another Catalyst for encouragement, quick idea-sharing, or mutual check-ins, you’re welcome to find a Buddy here.
A Buddy is simply a peer — not a coach and not a supervisor — who can join you in celebrating progress and thinking through next steps.This is optional and flexible: you decide what works for you.
If you’d like a Buddy, please comment below with:
Your name
Your location and timezone
Your preferred way to connect (WildHub DM / email / WhatsApp / voice notes)
What kind of support you’d enjoy (e.g. reviewing writing, practising questions, sharing encouragement)
Feel free to reply to someone else if you sense a good match.
If you prefer to continue solo, that’s absolutely fine — you’re fully supported either way.
🎉 Welcome to the WildHub Conservation Catalyst Cohort 2025–2026! 🌿
We’re delighted to have you here and excited to begin this journey together. This space is where you can connect with fellow Catalysts, share your interests, and start building the supportive community that will accompany you throughout the programme.
To get to know each other, please add a short introduction below. You might include:
Where you’re joining from
Your current role or interests in conservation
One thing you're curious to explore or learn during this programme
Something you hope to give or contribute to the cohort
Feel free to keep it simple — this is just a first hello. Please make sure you click on the "Follow" button of this room so that you receive email notifications when there is news so you can easily keep track of our programme. We’re very glad you’re here. 🌱💬
Update: member directory filters
Update: member directory filters
Good news! 🎉 Our platform provider has just confirmed that the issue with the member directory filters has been resolved. Filters should now be working correctly again—both single and multiple filters.
Thank you all for your patience while this was being fixed, and for flagging the problem so quickly. Your feedback really helps us keep WildHub running smoothly 💚
Coach Meetings 2025 – Minutes & Recordings
This thread is our shared record of Coach Meetings. After each meeting, we’ll add a reply with:
✅ Top 3 decisions/actions
📄 The full meeting minutes
🎥 Link to recording (if available)
This way, everything stays in one place and is easy to revisit.
How can we move from competition to collaboration in conservation?
How can we move from competition to collaboration in conservation? We’d love your thoughts!
On Wednesday 25 June, I’ll be joining a panel at the Nature First Conference in the Netherlands to explore this question—alongside brilliant minds like @Michael O'Brien-Onyeka (Nature4Justice), Mike Odenhoven (SumThing), and Martin Spitholt (SSF), Sonja van Meerbeek (SSF) as moderator and a video message from Laurens Gomes (Metabolic) to kick us off.
We’ll discuss what it really takes to co-create the future of conservation through partnerships—touching on trust, tech, funding models, inclusion, and the role of community.
To bring your voices into the room, we’d love to hear:
What barriers have you experienced to collaboration in conservation?
What has helped you move from fragmented efforts to trust-based cooperation?
What motivates you—or your organisation—to collaborate?
And what does inclusive, community-led conservation mean to you?
Your insights will help shape the panel discussion. I believe our work at WildHub is strongest when we learn from each other—so I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
A big shout out to WildHub members @Nalini and @Linda van Duivenbode for making this collaboration possible!
Hi team! Please meet & greet Anesu in Mozambique!
Hi Catalyst team!
How’s everyone doing? I’d like to introduce you to our new Catalyst participant @Anesu Florência Chivite – welcome to the team, Anesu!
Anesu is a storyteller and conservation communicator with a unique background in psychology, political science, and education. She’s spent the past few years homeschooling children in a remote game reserve, teaching everything from reading and math to wildlife ecology. Now, she’s shifting her focus to conservation storytelling – capturing the untold stories of the land, the people, and the emotional landscape of conservation work.
Anesu is passionate about bridging cultures and exploring the human side of conservation, where values, beliefs, and lived experiences shape how we connect with the natural world.
Welcome to the team, Anesu! It would be wonderful if you could share a bit more about your work and interests below.
Team, let’s give Anesu a warm welcome! Feel free to introduce yourselves below and share a story or insight you’re carrying in your conservation journey. @Fai Collins Ndi @Muthoni Njuguna , @Marrian Tendai Rwizi, @Temitope Rebecca Adelola , @Taranee @Anne Mauro @Ross Rowe @Christine Tansey @Chrissy @Ussi Abuu Mnamengi , @Oluwadamilare AJAYI , @Adekanle Godslove Damilola @Uchenna H Anyaorah , @Grace Alawa , @Opeyemi Blessing Oyawale , @Fleur Morton , @Stephen Ssemwaka @Jack Cole , @Amos Chege @Mary Malasa @Vimbainashe Eunick , @Gaia Piccaluga , @Flavia Manieri and @Nwamaka Uzonnah
Wishing you all a great weekend ahead!
Best wishes,Thirza
Hi team! Please meet & greet Nwamka Uzonnah in Nigeria!
Hi Catalyst team!
How has everyone been? I would like to introduce you to our new Catalyst participant @Nwamaka Uzonnah : welcome to the team, Nwamaka!
Nwamaka is a veterinarian and educator with expertise in vector biology and a passion for wildlife conservation. With a solid background in animal health and welfare, she is committed to advancing One Health initiatives through research, education, and community engagement. Over the next three years, she aims to use her veterinary and research skills to better understand wildlife ecology, health, and disease transmission in a changing world—applying this knowledge to shape conservation actions and develop practical, people- and planet-friendly solutions.
Welcome to the team Nwamaka, it would be wonderful if you could add an introduction to express your interests below.
Team, feel free to introduce yourself below and please welcome Nwamaka to our team @Fai Collins Ndi @Muthoni Njuguna , @Marrian Tendai Rwizi i , @Temitope Rebecca Adelola , @Taranee @Anne Mauro @Ross Rowe , @Christine Tansey @Chrissy ,, @Ussi Abuu Mnamengi, @Oluwadamilare AJAYI , @Adekanle Godslove Damilola @Uchenna H Anyaorah , @Grace Alawa , @Opeyemi Blessing Oyawale , @Fleur Morton, @Stephen Ssemwaka, @Jack Cole, @Amos Chege @Mary Malasa @Vimbainashe Eunick, @Gaia Piccaluga, @Flavia Manieri
Wishing you all a positive week!
Best wishes,
Thirza
Recent Comments
Welcome to WildHub, Abbie! Great to have you here.
Your focus on zoonotic disease and One Health is shared by more WildHub members. A useful connection for you may be to reach out to veterinarian @Nwamaka Uzonnah (perhaps you could do a 'lessons learned' feature together after your trip to India!)
For now, would you be open to sharing your insight to benefit other early-career conservationists, by answering:
What is one lesson you’ve learned so far about entering this field that you wish you had known earlier?
Many thanks in advance for sharing and I look forward to learning from and with you!
A warm welcome to WildHub, Tesfaye! Thank you for sharing about your work.
Your research is highly relevant for many protected area managers here.
If you’re open to sharing:
What is one key lesson you’ve learned so far about using digital tools in wildlife law enforcement that others should know before they start?
Looking forward to learning from your experience.
Thank you for sharing this, Brighton.
It would be very useful to hear from your field experience: what practical safety protocols or awareness practices have proven most effective when working in areas where these species are present?
Concrete lessons learned could really benefit other professionals in the region.
Merci pour ce partage important, Grevis.
À l’occasion de la Journée internationale du pangolin, il est important de reconnaître l’engagement des acteurs en première ligne.
Selon votre expérience, quels sont actuellement les plus grands défis pour réduire la demande transnationale?
Thank you, Adam, for writing this and for WildTeam’s role in supporting WildHub at its beginnings.
I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to respond here: reading the messages and reflections shared in the comments means a lot.
WildHub has always been shaped by the people in it, and I’m focused on stewarding it forward in a way that stays true to that collective spirit.
Congratulations Thirza 🎊
Thanks Grace, your support over the past year has been invaluable!
Thanks for sharing this here, Muijb! I’ve added your post to the Collaborate & Help Others room so WildHub members are notified and can spot the opportunity to team up. For future posts like this, feel free to share them directly in that room as well.
If you’d like to boost visibility even more, adding a banner image can help the post stand out :)
To all Catalysts: this community social is a great chance to meet and connect with experts across WildHub — particularly helpful as you start thinking about interviews and learning from other professionals.
@Winders Chauke , @KASHOBOROZI JAMES , @Naima Mohamed , @Thomas Sichimba , @DR WATUWA JAMES , @Farai Nhekairo , @Nwamaka Uzonnah , @Ussi Abuu Mnamengi , @Wiem Boussellaa , @THEJAVITSO CHASE , @Ivyonne Mugo , @Otshabile Bahetoleng , @Oluwadamilare AJAYI , @Fairuse Akter
Thank you for sharing and hosting this month's social @Muthoni Njuguna 🙏