Thirza Loffeld (She/Her)

Vincent is interested in collaborative conservation, protected area management, and natural resources governance with special interest in the conservation of the critically endangered cross river gorilla. He is currently the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary (known for gorillas, chimps and drills) Project Manager where he promotes Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) mission through law enforcement and research work with support from rangers and in close contact with communities, government agencies and other stakeholders. Prior to joining WCS in 2019, Vincent spent the last 5 years working with NGOCE Nigeria as their programing/project management Volunteer and also with Earthcorps in Seattle, USA, first as an eco-restoration crew member and later as an eco-restoration crew leader. Vincent holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Resources Management, from the University of Calabar, Nigeria and a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Management and Climate Change from Bayero University, Nigeria. Vincent is currently undergoing a graduate course on Endangered Species Management at the Durrell Conservation Academy in Jersey, UK which is affiliated to the university of Kent. In his free time, Vincent can be found taking a walk in nature, watching arsenal matches and spending time with family. I am here to network and connect with people that have passion and interest in the conservation of wildlife and wild places. I also look forward to sharing and getting opportunities and learnings that will aid my growth on conservation for the benefit of wildlife and the local communities I work with

I was a police officer in the UK for 25 years. I then retrained as an International Mountain Leader and have guided all over the world. In 2011, I won the Bronze in the Wanderlust Magazine World Guide Awards. I stumbled into conservation work, firstly in Borneo, and worked on expeditions to Danum Valley and Maliau Basin. This opened my eyes to our need to change the way we do things. As an expedition leader, I was able to educate and encourage my clients when working in the rainforest or at rehabilitation centres. During the covid confinements when I could no longer work as a guide, I took to writing, and published a novel, Stonechild, where the famous London statues come to life with their important message on climate change. I also trained as a Climate Reality Leader. 

My conservation career started in 1992 when I helped set up and joined a University expedition to the Bolivian Amazon. What started out as a 3-month experience ended up being a life-changing inflection point that set my professional and personal course to the present day. My conservation experience was built bottom-up and hands-on, and includes field data collection and logistics, grassroots organization leadership and project management, community engagement and capacity building, M&E, training and behavior change, and lately climate education through authorship of graphic novels and other resources. My conservation career includes positions as a senior staff member and a principal investigator at the Bolivian BirdLife Partner Armonía, field investigator in the Gran Chaco with WCS Bolivia, field logistics officer for Conservation International's RAP expeditions, and Programme Manager and Senior Manager of M&E at Rare. I currently work as Senior Behaviour Change Specialist with TRAFFIC International, applying behavioural science approaches to support TRAFFIC's work across wildlife supply chains globally. 

Jonathan is an early career academic from Nigeria with 8 years teaching & research experience.  He has published several journal articles & conference presentations. He has also taught courses ranging from wildlife ecology,  conservation,  management and ecotourism at undergraduate level. Prior to joining academia,  he was a conservation education officer in a zoo. He is a recipient of several awards including PTDF PhD scholarship award & PASET-RSIF PhD scholarship award.  Currently, he is a pre-PhD intern in the Animal-Environment interactions lab of the Max-Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany working on Vultures in Drylands project.  

I've lived and worked in conservation in Belize for more than 30 years...and love it! I work with both government, non-government agencies and communities towards strengthening the national protected areas system and species conservation frameworks - lots of landscape and seascape planning, protected area management planning, national biodiversity and species conservation planning, and (in all my spare time) addressing wildlife crime. My work provides excellent opportunities to explore iconic protected areas across this amazing country - places like the Blue Hole (known globally as a 'must-do' dive site) and Cockscomb Basin (protected for its high jaguar density) and to work with the inspiring management NGOs and local communities that protect areas such as these to improve their conservation outcomes. To make life even more interesting our organization, Wildtracks, also manages Belize's national manatee and primate rehabilitation centers, as part of our species conservation portfolio. We are excited to be establishing a new programme in 2022 focused on capacity building and mentoring for the Belize conservation community in response to the limited number of in-country conservation practitioners, with skills transfer to the incoming generation of conservation leaders. It is always inspiring to meet others who are as excited and motivated by conservation and conservation planning as I am...looking forward to being an active member of WildHub!

Identifying innovative approaches and improved solutions to business challenges both motivate and drive me. Observation, inspiration, and determination are my foundation for success. My philosophy is that introducing fresh perspectives and new techniques allow businesses to evolve and grow. My goal is to remain on the cutting-edge of advancements. 

A year ago I decided to quit my job as a Senior Consultant to go freelance and I haven't looked back! I have an extensive background within conservation and am looking to flexibly apply my skills towards positive societal change. My strengths include: social science expertise, systems thinking & change, engaging diverse perspectives, strategic thinking & project design, interdisciplinarity, action research, and collaboration.  Please get in touch (lindsey@emergent.eco) to discuss how I could support you with the development of a new project or if you need additional capacity on existing work.

I work with Indigenous communities in all the practical and strategic processes that support their territorial autonomy and self-determined developmental agendas. In a beautifully complex world, that can mean anything from technical GIS support, monitoring biodiversity in territory, analyzing invasions and threats to territory, strategizing and obtaining the necessary data to fill gaps to support legal cases against threats and support informed decision-making. I am an interdisciplinary academic-activist working with Indigenous nationalities and representative organisations in pursuit and actualization of their autonomy and collectively self-determined vision. I have worked on the intersection between international law, national judicial systems, international environmental commitments, extractive industries and the plural visions of Indigenous Peoples and other historically minoritized groups. My focus has been on human rights-based approaches to conservation and what they imply in current law, traditional/local ecological knowledge, and Indigenous leadership in navigating an encroaching world (community-based monitoring and mapping of territory (for biodiversity, threats, culture, etc.)). I have worked across South America and both South and Southeast Asia and have now returned to the Amazonian region as the monitoring field coordinator for Amazon Frontlines. For my work things feel free to skim my LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/tomatitoperdido

A passionate conservationist with experience and expertise in anti poaching and community based conservation

I am a motivated, adaptable and responsible professional, with a diverse interdisciplinary background with expertise in veterinary sciences with a special emphasis on wildlife medicine, business development, and project management. I have over 18 years of experience in a wide range of working scenarios, with government, civil society and the private sector, across three different continents. This has helped me to develop good interpersonal and networking skills, especially within multi-stakeholder context, and a special capacity to handle sensitive political, cultural and religious issues with diplomacy. I consider myself a self-starter with a practical approach to problem-solving, passionate for sustainable development, from biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health, to gender equality.

Félix is a 25-year-old conservationist and environmental activist from Luxembourg. He is the Biodiversity Working Group Facilitator at Generation Climate Europe, the largest coalition of youth-led NGOs at the European level, pushing for stronger action from the EU on climate and environmental issues. He is also the Liaison Officer on Biodiversity at Youth and Environment Europe, working to mainstream biodiversity throughout the European youth climate and environmental movement and to empower youth from underrepresented regions to participate in regional and global environmental policy processes. He firmly believes that biodiversity is the crumbling foundation of life on Earth and must be put at the center of decision-making processes to create a healthier, more equitable and prosperous future for all, especially the poor and most vulnerable. He previously interned at the Secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the Convention on Migratory Species (UNCMS), and most recently at the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). He holds an MSc in Conservation from University College London and a BSc in Marine Science from the National University of Ireland, Galway.