I’m Asmita Ranapaheli, a passionate turtle researcher with a Master’s degree in Ecology and Environment from Tribhuvan University. My work is driven by a belief that conservation thrives on collaboration. By uniting diverse voices and expertise, we can create innovative, sustainable solutions to protect habitats, empower communities, and safeguard endangered species. In addition to my research, I run Respite, a YouTube channel where I bring the wonders of wildlife, plants, and zoology to a wider audience. Through captivating and accessible content, I aim to inspire curiosity, foster a deeper connection with nature, and highlight the urgent need for biodiversity conservation in an increasingly fragile world. 

My name is Oluwatise Ajia, I live in Lagos, Nigeria I’m a graduate with Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Design from the Federal University of Technology Akure. I’m a lover of wildlife and would love to make a career as a big cat conservationists to help preserve, protect and find solutions to the human-cat conflict.  I am currently on a scholarship program called the Successful Wildlife Professional by Dr. Stephanie shuttler and a volunteer on the  position of Data entry for Bay Area puma project with Felidae Conservation fund.

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.

Experienced in driving nonprofit community engagement and development across multiple audiences for NGOs, institutions, corporations and foundations. As a storyteller, relationship builder and lifelong learner, I'm committed to understanding audiences to meet and exceed their needs. My experience across multiple organizations with vastly different strategic goals demonstrates my nimble and resilient working style, as well as my commitment to projects and functions of team strategy. I seek to address and remove barriers to conservation education in underserved communities, and work alongside community members to understand and address important, conservation, socio-economic issues.

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'm a biodiversity consultant working mainly in the corporate space. I work with large companies to help them figure out their nature-related impacts, dependancies, risks and opportunities, then use this information to create biodiversity strategies.