Shelley acts as community manager for the two growing networks that sit alongside the core Cambridge Masters in Conservation Leadership teaching programme; the University of Cambridge Conservation Leadership Alumni Network (UCCLAN) and the Conservation Leadership Transformation Network. The management of these two networks delivers two of the three goals set out in the Masters in Conservation Leaderships ten-year strategy; to catalyse the impact of the UCCLAN; and to establish a Global Conservation Leadership Community of Practice. Shelley is a former archaeologist, who moved into the communications sector and has been specialising in external affairs and communications at the University of Cambridge for the last 15 years. Shelley is a brand specialist with extensive experience in delivering large-scale communications campaigns for the University’s high-profile events such as the Cambridge Science Festival, alongside training staff and students from across the University in to how to engage audiences both in person and online.

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. 

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.

Charlene has a Bachelor of Science Degree (Major in Biology, Minor in Sociology), a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Major: Sociology, Minor: Biochemistry), A Graduate Certificate in Climate Action Leadership, a Criminology Certificate and several courses away from completing an Environmental Science Degree. She currently manages the wildlife portfolio, climate change portfolio, and our communal fishing strategy which includes our guardian program. Charlene brings over a decade of experience administering aspects of land and resource management programs in the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in program administration and financial management. She has managed multiple projects, meeting deadlines and producing results. As the manager of the Environment and Natural Resources department at NCC, Charlene is involved in (as project lead or co-investigator) and oversees a vast variety of research projects involving environmental and wildlife monitoring, sustainability, climate change awareness and education, as well as community-based programs. She also sits on the Research Advisory Committee for her expertise and knowledge on the environmental priorities of NunatuKavut Inuit to assess that research meets the priorities, goals and standards of NCC.

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.