This is Jacques. I’m from Cameroon and currently, I am a PhD student in natural ressources management at Ghent University, Belgium. Also work for a Wildlife Conservation NGO called “Association pour la protection des grands singes” in the Northern periphery of Dja Faunal Reserve here in Cameroon.
In my work and studies, I am trying to understand how conservations projects could act to improve livelihood conditions of rural people who hunt animals for their meat. This hunting has led to a dramatic decline of wildlife in the area where emblematic species like gorillas , elephants and pangolins are threatens. Following this training will surely help me to learn many useful tips and tricks to raise funds to be able to really impact rural living people lives.
My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity exchange. 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 co-founded WildHub, a community of nature conservation professionals, in 2020 and work as their Community Lead. I am furthermore on the Advisory Board 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.