Thirza Loffeld (She/Her)

Life long conservationist that took a different career path earlier in life, after years working in banking, I'm finally looking to switch careers and work within the environmental sector. Currently studying year 3 for a degree in Environmental Science and then will be doing a masters afterwards as well. I have extensive operational and relationship management experience in the highest pressure environments so have done this backwards. Business and life experience forst and then a relevant qualification.  Looking forward to connecting with others and driving g my career forward. 

I am a statistical ecologist and a wildlife biologist currently working with communities for community conservation. Most of my job requires identifying and fostering partnerships and collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including local communities, academic institutions, and international organizations. I am interested in networking with conservation professionals and experts to learn from them, also get to know if there are any funding and learning opportunities for our team and our organization. 

I've worked for the Bat Conservation Trust since 2003. I manage the long-running National Bat Monitoring Programme through which we produce species population trends for 11 of the UK's 17 breeding bat species.

Environmental communicator with more than a decade's experience working in the conservation sector, including significant strategic communications and project management expertise, and a passion for protecting the natural world.

I’m an ecologist, herpetologist, and lifelong conservationist with a deep-rooted passion for the natural world. My fascination for reptiles, especially snakes and lizards, has helped to shape my career to date. I have been fortunate to work as Project Manager on the Snakes in the Heather project to help conserve reptiles in the lowland heath habitats of southern England and to gain field experience abroad, such as working as a Field Assistant on the Pygmy Blue-tongue Skink Recovery Program in Australia. I have a varied work history that has allowed me to build a unique skillset, including customer service as well as conservation-based skills such as report and grant writing, project management, fieldwork, research, GIS (using ESRI ArcGIS and Q-GIS platforms), and stakeholder engagement. I enjoy training, mentoring, and inspiring like-minded people, sharing knowledge, and delivering impactful conservation projects. I am known for my enthusiasm and conscientiousness, and being analytical and organised. I take pride in achieving high standards in my work. Outside of work, I have played the drums for 30 years, enjoy mountain biking, and I am an avid traveller. My adventures often combine my love for reptiles with exploring the natural world and connecting with conservation efforts worldwide. With a creative streak, I blend my artistic skills and lateral thinking to enhance conservation resources.

My name is Renata, I am from Brazil but currently living in Germany. I’m a biologist with a great interest in wildlife conservation and am passionate about amphibians. I hold a master's and a PhD in physiology of amphibians and I have been working with amphibian conservation and ex situ management for 15 years.  Currently, I’m developing amphibian conservation projects remotely with Brazilian institutions and I’m open to new opportunities in Europe, as I relocated to Germany.

Why join WildHub? There is nowhere else that allows communities to form like this in teh conservation field. Also there are opportunities to share expertise, curate material that can spread further than just me and opportunities to use the skills and knowledge of others to build a more resilient and proactive conservation movement! Count me in  Skilled in: • Online curriculum design for secondary & undergraduate students • Design & tailoring of specific short courses, signature assignments & assessments (huge inspiration from ‘Creating Wicked Students: Paul Hanstedt) • Mapping out of key learning outcomes and desired competencies • Curation of detailed session plans for self-paced online learning • Working to project timelines to deliver world-class, well-designed learning experiences. • Creating and updating internal, instructor and student guides for learning My Favourite review: "Hollie has a natural teaching ability that isn’t directed by the norms of education today, but appeals to how we, as inquisitive humans, want to learn. Her capacity of putting this to paper is an invaluable skill." Robyn Hartley In the short courses I have designed (secondary & undergraduates) I have focused on curating a powerful learning experience with scene investigations & descriptions, designed to be taught online or in-person, over a semester or in a block. I have designed and instructed field courses in East & Southern Africa from 2 weeks to a month and as I absolutely love this, I continue to do this as a freelancer for universities whenever needed. I worked and still work with with ShareScreen Africa to curate FREE learning experiences through guest speakers. We are still at the very beginning of our journey and have many a plan in store for students hungry for more knowledge and experiential tales from those working in the field. I am working as a Teaching Fellow at the African Wildlife Economies Institute to curate an online learning experience in conservation business and leadership (I am not contributing to content but to dissemination of content). My focus here is the learning management platform and the community we can build that will be full of ideas and new perspectives. The idea with all I do, virtual and in-person, field and classroom based, is to deepen the understanding of leadership amongst our learners, to drive a personal and professional journey in learning that has both vision and ‘future hindsight’. The focus of the learning does not come from the teacher but through knowledge empowerment – peers, online resources, structured and unstructured workshops, projects and using other innovative forms of assessment. Yes, we want to enable immediate application of skills and knowledge, but we also want students to come to their own realisation that the teacher does not know all. That it is up to them. Their ideas, experiences and knowledge to build workable solutions.

Since July 2025, I have been serving as the Community Advocates Coordinator at WildHub, where I coordinate initiatives to engage, support, and empower our community advocates in advancing WH’s mission. Beyond WildHub, I wear a few different hats. I work as a researcher and lecturer in Sweden, teaching courses on environmental law, political and historical ecology, and disaster risk management. I also mentor undergraduate and postgraduate students, collaborate with faculty members, and contribute to ongoing research projects. I’m passionate about giving back through volunteer work. I support a few conservation and animal welfare organisations with research and advocacy to help drive positive change. When I’m not working, you’ll find me hiking forest trails with my dog or enjoying a good cup of coffee.

My journey into wildlife protection began with a cat named Cheekoh, whom I adopted while in Costa Rica. Cheekoh wasn’t just a pet—he was the catalyst that opened my eyes to the incredible world of wildlife. Through him, I met my husband, and we quickly realized we shared a deep love for animals and a shared vision: to protect endangered species. That love for animals, sparked by Cheekoh, became the foundation for everything I do today. Together, my husband and I have dedicated our lives to using our technical skills—my background in innovation and his expertise in technology—to help protect endangered species. Our journey, from adopting Cheekoh to creating innovative solutions for wildlife protection, has been a story of love, learning, and commitment. I’m thrilled to share this passion with others, especially the next generation of conservationists.  As the Executive Director of Kashmir World Foundation, I lead a dedicated team focused on wildlife protection and conservation. We use cutting-edge technologies to combat poaching and safeguard endangered species. With a robust network of scientists, researchers, and conservationists, KwF is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to protect wildlife, utilizing AI, drones, and other advanced technologies. Through global collaboration, we create new strategies to monitor ecosystems, prevent illegal activities, and ensure a sustainable future for our planet's most vulnerable species. Learn more about KwF's Internship Program.

Wildlife ecology