Ahmad Syaihu Rifai
Education and Sustainable Livelihood Program Manager, BISA Indonesia Society
I am Syaihu Rifai. I am a researcher/conservationist and community facilitator in Indonesia. I'm currently focusing on research on the conservation of Indonesia's biodiversity and connecting with people's welfare.
19 year old autistic BSc Zoology student at the University of Reading. Hoping to work in wildlife conservation or a more veterinary field, especially on crocodilians. Founder and co-president of the UoR Hedgehog Society.
My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity development. 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 work as Community Manager at WildHub since 2020, and I am an Associate Member 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.
I'm a WildLearning Specialist with WildTeam, a bit of an odd job title. My main role is to design, deliver and organise both our online and class-based training courses. One of the best parts of my job is meeting other conservationists and learning about the work that they do. Before working for WildTeam I did a PhD in invasive plants and human-wildlife interactions. I find it really interesting to learn about the ways people interact with nature, both when nature is being wonderful, but also when it is being a bit annoying!
I work for WildTeam UK, helping to deliver training workshops, write conservation best practice manuals and share them as widely as possible. Previously a Writing Fellow working with various conservation organisations across India. Background in research, particularly behavioural ecology. Bird nerd.
I was born in Switzerland, but my current home is Costa Rica where I have been living with my wife and daughter for the last 25 years. Over two decades, I have developed extensive knowledge in sustainability topics along with a wide experience in designing, fundraising, and implementing conservation biology programs, biological corridors, project planning, implementation and monitoring, the leadership of inter-institutional alliances at the national, bi-national, regional and international level, as well as in the creation of protected areas. My areas of expertise include biodiversity, landscape issues, connectivity conservation, transboundary conservation, protected areas, and World Heritage Sites, sustainable development, wildlife, governance, and ecosystem conservation. I have worked for local and international NGOs and the academy, and define myself as a passionate conservation practitioner compromised with high standards of excellence, and a team player able to build strong intercultural relationships. I love trail running, photography, reading, cooking, traveling, and meeting new people from different cultural contexts. I am fluent in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, with limited working proficiency in German and Indonesian. I am currently learning Mandarin and Arabic.
Sheherazade
Co-Executive Director, PROGRES (Sulawesi Regional Ecological Conservation Initiative)
I am co-leading PROGRES, a Sulawesi-based NGO to initiate and empower locally-led conservation to protect threatened yet overlooked wildlife. After obtaining my MS degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, I had worked as a conservation scientist in the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia and chaired Tambora Muda, national-level network of Indonesian young conservationists.
Affordable online learning, virtual and hybrid events, interactive data visualisation
Conservation Scientist with experience in conservation conflicts management, sustainable agriculture, food security, drought management and rural development. Proven skills in project management, monitoring and evaluation, communication and community mobilization. I am a PhD Candidate at the School of Geosciences - University of Edinburgh. I have an MA in Global Studies from the University of Freiburg- Germany and FLACSO Argentina, MSc in Conservation and Rural Development from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent. My conservation interest is to improve local community participation and involvement in ecosystem management