Thirza Loffeld (She/Her)

I am a  Postdoctoral researcher with the Arctic Genomics Project, focusing on the use of genomic tools to support wildlife conservation, food security, and Indigenous-led research in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions. My work lies at the intersection of conservation biology, climate change, and community-based approaches, with a strong emphasis on ethical and respectful collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.

I recently graduated in International Development and Climate Studies from Wageningen University. My MSc dissertation on community forestry, environmental justice and payments for ecosystem services in Timor-Leste, confirmed my interest in these areas, as well as my motivation to work in and with the Global South. As a trainee at the EEAS in Timor-Leste, I gained practical experience with the design, implementation and evaluation of environmentally related rural development programmes, as well as with EU representation and multilateral development aid dynamics.  As an activist, I am or have been involved in raising awareness, organising events, and facilitating knowledge exchange in the areas of climate change & sustainable development, rethinking the food system, and reducing & recycling waste, with youth and young professionals as the target group .  As long as I'm looking for a job, I would like to stay open to the following interests, next to the abovementioned ones:   I would like to learn more about nature-based climate solutions - relevant for BIPOC communities - for a wide range of sustainability interventions, and how to implement such solutions in close collaboration with BIPOC communities. I am very interested to explore the possibilities of becoming a facilitator/trainer/coach to support people/organisations with the social and personal challenges that inevitably rise from implementing environmental & development projects & programmes. As a yoga practitioner and teacher, I am also on the outlook for environmental and development approaches that interrelate caring for the earth and soul.  I look forward to connect with you if you share similar interests and/or have ideas about opportunities in these areas! 

CTO at Aposphere GmbH, a platform for strategy planning, portfolio management data capturing and integration.

Three species of African pangolins are found in the Dzanga Sangha Forest Reserve, a dense tropical rainforest reserve in the southwestern tip of the Central African Republic. I conduct ecological research and manage a budding community monitoring initiative for the Sangha Pangolin Project. Monitoring the local pangolin scale trade, camera trapping, promoting community science, understanding local perceptions, and mapping community forest areas to better serve the local and indigenous communities are my main areas of focus. 

I am a wildlife film-maker and photographer from Kenya. Besides producing wildlife documentaries, we also publish coffee table books with Augmented Reality.  I run a company in Kenya, and we are also fixers for foreign productions wanting to come and film in Kenya. Looking forward to networking and meeting new people, possibilities of working together and also find platforms to showcase our content. I am keen on sharing the little knowledge/ experience I have and also would like to learn from others.

My principal research interests lie in understanding the socio-cultural development of humans, the relationships between humans and wildlife and the influence of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity. I am passionate about the inclusion of existing cultural beliefs into conservation strategy and acknowledging the key role of people who share their landscape with protected species. My research and practical work to date has used interdisciplinary socio-ecological data to understand and address conservation dynamics, and issues and I am interested in taking this to the next level by developing novel techniques to achieve more effective and sustainable conservation outcomes in the long-term. I graduated with a BA degree with honors in History and Anthropology (2017) and a MSc in Primate Conservation (Human-Primate Interface) (2018) from Oxford Brookes University in the UK, which gave me an excellent grounding in the methods and application of multidisciplinary approaches. When planning my undergraduate dissertation in 2014, I developed an interest in understanding how cultural practices and beliefs influence peoples’ attitudes and behaviors towards the environment. I have been both conducting research and working in practical conservation roles across West Africa and South-East Asia developing and applying skills in this area ever since. Working in Sierra Leone, I have seen first hand the effects of top-down conservation action on people living in protected areas and the subsequent adverse effects on the habitat and the wildlife. Interestingly, nature often finds ways to adapt and chimpanzees are an excellent example of a species that can flexibly respond to anthropogenic habitat modifications. In my positions as Assistant Conservation Manager in Sierra Leone and Technical Research Advisor in Guinea Bissau, I conducted research on spatio-temporal use of habitats by people and animals, community conservation projects and environmental education programmes, with a particular focus on chimpanzees. I am extremely passionate about building on this research to further investigate and understand local practices and perceptions of wildlife and conservation projects in order to incorporate what people are already doing into conservation approaches. And so, in September 2021 I started a PhD in Anthropology at ISCTE and NOVA FCSH.

I am a biodiversity conservationist from Cameroon. I recently completed a Professional MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Management from the University of Bamenda, Cameroon and I am currently pursuing a Conversion MSc in Wildlife Resource Management in the same University. I have been serving as a volunteer for Apiculture and Nature Conservation Organization where we engage communities around protected areas in the North West Region of Cameroon in alternative livelihood activities in order to reduce stress on biodiversity. With the ongoing socio-political conflict in Cameroon’s North West and South West Regions, it has made conservation activities in these regions difficult as forest reserves are now used as hideouts for the non-state armed groups (NSAGs) whose activities are posing threats to biodiversity in these areas. With this setback, I have been working as an independent researcher in Cameroon’s Eastern Region precisely in the Nki National Park which is considered as the “last true wilderness” in Cameroon with lots of biodiversity. My studies have concentrated on forest elephants: its dung decay rate, population status, feeding pattern, anthropogenic disturbances. Human-Elephant conflict is very prevalent in this park which warrants mitigation.

Dr Renuka Thakore is the Founder of Global Sustainable Futures: Progress through Partnership Network to achieve Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 targets. She provides a collaborative platform for innovative and transdisciplinary partnerships and capacity development for early career researchers joined by senior experienced researchers from Global South and Global North. Dr Thakore believes in broader sustainable development concept and uses multi-dimensional lens (social, economic, environmental, political, institutional, cultural, and technological) of sustainability, innovations, and theoretical framings to address the problems of societal systems and propagates this through various activities – research, teaching, and practice towards achieving global sustainable goals 2030 and beyond. She encourages systems thinking, engagement and active participation of multiple stakeholders for effective governance and management for sustainable transformations, use of transdisciplinary methodologies, co-creating solutions that are multi-modal and ‘value-added’ to relevant stakeholders. Renuka is proud of having support of 320 Coordinators from 79 countries.

I am an undergraduate student at the Institute Of Forestry, Hetauda campus under Tribhuvan University with a keen interest in wildlife conservation and Ecology Study. Currently, I'm working as a student intern at Forest Research and Training Centre under the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Nepal as a part of my undergraduate research study. I'm also seeking for research assistantship for my masters.

Hi, I’m really excited to be attending this course as I want to career switch into Conservation and Project Management will help me on this journey. I currently run my own animal first aid business and I am half way through a Masters in Applied Wildlife Conservation at Anglia Ruskin University. Looking forward to meeting everyone on the course!

I want to find new ways to have a positive impact on the environment and communities around the world. How I do this is pretty open; I have wide-ranging interests (including the arts and spending time outside) and am willing to adapt to changing circumstances.  Although I've stepped back from being a community advocate for the WildHub community, I'm still happy to answer questions about the platform and will do what I can to help connect people.

With experience in Marine Animal Rehab., Rescue and Research coupled with a nerdy love of data, data science and all things technology, my data collection software company, WatchSpotter is the cumulation of my life’s work. From the hallways of the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center at the University of New England, my affinity for caring for marine animals was fostered and grew. Being tasked with the center’s life support systems and flow thru animal pools further opened my eyes to water quality, fecal coliforms, and bio-loads.  I was the primary research technician in a multiphase study: Protecting the Saco River: Tracking non-point fecal pollution to its species source. Upon leaving UNE, I traveled to the Southern Great Barrier Reef Australia to work on an international research team focusing on population dynamics for three cetacean species. Once back stateside, I sharpened my Software UX skills working as a software consultant for Centersoft Technologies. After a brief stint volunteering for the Dolphin Photo ID program at Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, I was hired to join the team. I split time the first years at FAU HBOI between the Harmful Algal Bloom lab and the Dolphin Population and Assessment Lab. Settling in as a Research Assistant for the latter as well as a first responder for the Marine Mammal Rescue Team. In working with the Dolphin Population and Assessment Primary Researcher, along with other industry collaborators, I soon became the PIs data analyst and was paramount in the creation and development of the programs state of the art cloud-based SQL database platform. I worked as a liaison between the research program and software architects to assure ease of use, maximum data output and advanced analytics. The software is still used by the newly formed team today.  At the end of 2019 it was time for me to branch out on my own.  In the spring of 2022, WatchSpotter was born. My idea was to create a customizable SaaS application that could be used by researchers worldwide. Data is data- scientific questions need to be answered. My contingency was that no matter what the research topic- if the research brings people into the field-whether scientists, volunteers, or citizens, they are there to gather data-to answer questions. I knew that the two biggest challenges facing many environmental research groups were time and money. It would not be feasible for most nonprofits or other environmental institutions to pay for custom software- which often runs in excess of $150K nor do they have the time to wait for such programs to be complete.  These known challenges fueled the customization and simple UX that make up the WatchSpotter platform. When I’m working with Environmental Science or software, I enjoy being outside in the woods or at the beach, volunteering and hanging with family and friends.

I am an educator and researcher at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. As a professional, I have been teaching students in wildlife conservation and management as well as doing research and community outreach in wildlife conservation. In our country, the protected areas have been expanding in coverage, but the wildlife species have been declining in population abundance and diversity. Thus, I am interested to work on conservation capacity build, research, and consulting protected areas to resolve the contradicting facts of expansion of protected areas and loss of wildlife resources. In this regard, I am happy to develop a link with any conservation experts who are interested to work together and share experiences. 

I have a broad range of experience in the management of natural resources, landscape restoration, agriculture, wetlands management and conservation, GIS and remote sensing, data analysis, peace and conflict resolution, and research projects with an emphasis on water quality, aquatic system management, and the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems. Through advocacy for policies, conservation education, and conservation projects, I am passionate about preserving the natural world and preserving threatened species. I have delivered superior research services in collaboration with government agencies, religious institutions, and International, regional, national, and local NGOs.