Empowering the next generation of conservation heroes.
WCN Scholarship Program
The WCN Scholarship program was founded in 2006 to discover and nurture emerging young conservationists so they can one day take up the fight for wildlife.
WCN scholars are the future of conservation. These students from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America are committed to working on wildlife conservation in their home countries. They are forward thinkers and out-of-the-box problem solvers, able to navigate the labyrinth of challenges they face protecting endangered wildlife with courage, optimism, stamina, and a nimbleness to adapt to constantly fluctuating political and cultural landscapes—always keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
If you are an interested applicant, please email?scholarship@www.irstatrafikskola.com?for more information. Note that you must be nominated by a pre-approved/eligible nominator. The call for nominations will open in October of each year, and it will NOT be listed publicly.
Impact by the numbers
128
graduate level scholarships provided to incredible young women and men across 42 countries since the program's inception
14
scholars awarded scholarships in 2020 to pursue their education
Meet Our 2020 Scholars
Shaleen Angwenyi
African painted dogShaleen Angwenyi
Shaleen Angwenyi of Kenya is planning to pursue a master’s degree from the University of Bristol in Global Wildlife Health and Conservation. Through this program she will build her skills in both research methods and practical conservation techniques in wildlife care, rehabilitation, diseases, captive wildlife management and wildlife conservation. She plans to focus her thesis on the investigation of canine distempter in African painted dogs (Lycaon pictus) in northern Kenya. She will work through the lens of the One Health approach, looking at the interactions between wildlife, domestic animals, and humans to guide future conservation management of endangered species.
Awarded a WCN Veterinary Scholarship.
Location: Kenya
University: University of Bristol
Gabriel Antwi-Boasiako
African elephants,?slender-snouted crocodiles, dwarf crocodiles, pangolinsGabriel Antwi-Boasiako
Gabriel Antwi-Boasiako of Ghana is pursuing an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge. His thesis focuses on effective community-based management strategies for sturgeon conservation in the country of Georgia. He plans to use the skills developed during his program to become a conservation leader in his home country of Ghana, with a particular focus on African elephants, slender-snouted crocodiles, dwarf crocodiles, pangolins, and the illegal wildlife trade, using both community-based conservation and social and behavioral change communication (SBCC).
Awarded a Pat J. Miller Scholarship.
Location: Ghana
University: University of Cambridge
Kambwiri Banda
LionKambwiri Banda
Kambwiri Banda of Zambia is planning to pursue a master’s degree at the Swedish Agricultural University looking at the demographic impacts of snared lion rescue through prompt veterinary intervention. Kambwiri holds a full-time position with the Zambian Carnivore Programme, acting as both a field-based veterinarian (of which there are few in Africa) and a research ecologist. The ecology degree will help him better understand the wildlife biology that is necessary when handling wildlife from the veterinary perspective, both for immobilization and during wildlife movement. His hope is that he will inspire more veterinarians to pursue opportunities in the field working with wildlife.
Awarded a WCN Veterinary Scholarship.
Location: Zambia
University: Swedish Agricultural University
Charles Emogor
White-bellied pangolinCharles Emogor
Charles Emogor of Nigeria is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, focusing on combining ecological and social surveys to generate valuable information on the distribution, home range size, off take and local perception (including possible management interventions) of the white-bellied pangolin. This will then be used to inform anti-poaching patrols and conservation education for pangolins. His work also aims to understand the local consumption and demand for pangolins in the Cross River National Park region (Nigeria). This will be the first pangolin-centered project in Cross River, which, given Nigeria’s notorious role in the pangolin trade, underscores the importance and timeliness of this work. Ultimately, Charles plans for his work to inform behavior-change interventions and enforcement actions against the trade.
Awarded the joint WCN-WCS Scholarship
Location: Nigeria
University: University of Cambridge
Paul Hatanga
Chimpanzees, Ugandan mangabeyPaul Hatanga
Paul Hatanga of Uganda?is pursuing his master’s in environmental management from the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University. His research has focused on examine the effect of road construction on ecosystem services important for local communities including water and biodiversity in Uganda’s Murchison-Semliki landscape. The road he is studying – a 100km road from Kabwooya to Kyenjojo–passes the perimeter of Bugoma Forest Reserve (a Key Biodiversity Area) and bisects Kagombe Forest Reserve, areas home to a large population of chimpanzees and the endemic Ugandan mangabey. His goals are to use the skills and connections from his master’s program to a) promote applied conservation and community development in human-dominated chimpanzee conservation landscapes; and b) enable conservationists and policy makers to reconcile development and conservation goals.
Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship.
Location: Uganda
University: Yale University
Tarik Kabir
Western hoolock gibbonTarik Kabir
Tarik Kabir of Bangladesh will be starting a Ph.D. program at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, focusing on the western hoolock gibbon and behavioral adaptations that allow species to survive in fragmented, degraded, and human-dominated landscapes. He’ll be looking at a) how habitat characteristics and degree of fragmentation impact the population size of hoolock gibbon; b) assessing the age-sex group composition of the gibbons; c) determining the behavioral and ecological responses due the degree of habitat fragmentation; and d) assessing the preferable food items and seasonal variation of feeding availability for the species – with the end goal of developing a Western Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Action Plan based on his findings.
Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship.
Location: Bangladesh
University: Universiti Sains Malaysia
Herbert Kasozi
Rothschild’s?giraffeHerbert Kasozi
Herbert Kasozi of Uganda is pursuing a Ph.D. through the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Michigan. His research his focused on evaluating factors that influence the occurrence, distribution, and survival of the Rothschild’s giraffe in Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), Uganda – including stressors related to humans and the current?? oil exploration happening inside MFNP. He hopes to use the results of his research to influence management of the species in the park. Herbert is also particularly passionate about inspiring the rising generation of Ugandans to become involved in wildlife conservation.
Awarded a Handsel Scholarship.
Location: Uganda
University: University of Michigan
Ambika Prasad Khatiwada
Chinese pangolinAmbika Prasad Khatiwada
Ambika Prasad Khatiwada of Nepal is pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Oviedo, Spain. His thesis, entitled “People and Pangolins: Ecology and Conservation of Pangolins in Nepal,” focuses on the critically endangered Chinese pangolin, and he aims to determine whether improved knowledge and understanding of the conservation status and significance of the species is likely to change local people’s behavior with respect to illegal hunting of pangolins.
Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship.
Location: Nepal
University: University of Oviedo, Spain
Masud Lahut
Baluchistan black bearMasud Lahut
Masud Lahut of Iran is pursuing his doctorate at Arak University, focusing on the conservation and management of Baluchistan black bear in Iran, a subspecies of the Asiatic black bear. The species is endangered on the national level due to poaching and habitat destruction – there are estimated to only be around 60 left in Iran. Masud intends to focus his research on obtaining base ecological data – species activity behavior, home range – as well as the reasons for conflict between humans and bears and how to address it. He aims to engage local community members both to learn technical skills as citizen scientists (camera trapping, satellite tracking) and build awareness to change mindsets towards conservation – in schools, mosques, and cultural centers. His longer term goal is to start an NGO focused on Asiatic black bear conservation.
Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship.
Location: Iran
University: Arak University
Patrick Okello
Lion and cheetahPatrick Okello
Patrick Okello of Uganda is planning to pursue an online master’s degree through the University of Edinburgh. His studies will focus on the impact of certain zoonotic diseases on lion and cheetah populations in Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley National Parks in Uganda, as well as how the diseases affect both domestic animals and humans through the One Health approach. He plans to pursue the creation of a local community carnivore conservation program (CCCP) to a) mitigate threats to wildlife through community decision making; and b) institute control measures, like vaccination programs for diseases that pose threats to wildlife, domestic animals, and humans.
Awarded a WCN Veterinary Scholarship.
Location: Uganda
University: University of Edinburgh
Ando Rabearisoa
Hawksbill sea turtleAndo Rabearisoa
Ando Rabearisoa of Madagascar is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Cruz, focusing on Hawksbill sea turtle conservation by evaluating the effectiveness of Locally- Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) in the Western Indian Ocean. This involves quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating whether these established LMMAs are meeting their conservation and socioeconomic goals, and subsequently using that information to a) better understand enabling conditions for successful LMMAs; b) identify communities where further LMMA creation is most appropriate; and c) improve existing LMMAs.
Awarded a Handsel Scholarship.
Location: Madagascar
University: University of California, Santa Cruz
Tapologo Connie Sebati
CheetahTapologo Connie Sebati
Tapologo Connie Sebati of Botswana will be pursuing an online M.A. in Development Studies from the University of South Africa. Her thesis will focus on integrating gender into conservation by rethinking and recognizing the role of women in wildlife conservation and livelihood activities. Her study seeks to? understand whether women are willing to participate in the? conservation strategies designed for them; Connie will investigate women’s attitudes and behavior towards cheetah and carnivore conservation and explore the connections between gender, wildlife use, and livelihoods, with the overall goal of making sure women’s voices are heard. Connie has been working with CCB for the past ten years and has played a key role in their educational activities and in developing and expanding the Farmers’ Network.
Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship.
Location: Botswana
University: University of South Africa
Mario Sneyder Jimenez Segura
Great green macawMario Sneyder Jimenez Segura
Mario Sneyder Jimenez Segura of Costa Rica plans to pursue an MSc in Conservation Project Management at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, focusing on nesting success of the great green macaw in nest boxes versus wild nest sites. In the future, he plans to explore alternative livelihood opportunities for local farmers, with a particular focus on ecotourism to encourage land and forest conservation – the idea being that the farmer can then earn an income by working to? conserve the macaws. Mario has been working with the Macaw Recovery Network (formerly the Ara Project) since 2017 and is now the Field Team leader, monitoring macaws and training and managing teams of volunteers and interns.
Awarded a Pat J. Miller Scholarship.
Location: Costa Rica
University: University of Kent
Sandra Teoh
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphinSandra Teoh
Sandra Teoh of Malaysia, is pursuing a Ph.D. in Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Malaya, focusing on the social ecology of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. Her research aims to assess the function of humpback dolphin communities, their movement and habitat use in Langkawi, Malaysia, and its adjacent Perlis-Kedah waters, as well as the overlap with and impact from human activities in these shallow? coastal waters. Her overall goal is to use the results of her research to influence policy and conservation action at the governmental level – including implementation of a) vessel speed limit zones in the dolphins’ core areas; b) a boating Code of Conduct (COC) to which tour operators and recreational boaters must adhere; and c) marine mammal sanctuaries.
Awarded the Steven K. Beckendorf Scholarship.
Location: University of Malaya
University: University of Kent
Meet Scholars From Previous Years
These former scholarship recipients are now protecting wildlife throughout the world.
Past Scholars
New & Stories
Meet 2020's WCN Scholars, Part 1
This year’s cohort of WCN Scholars is an inspiring group of 14 talented young conservationists championing the protection of endangered... Learn More
Meet 2020's WCN Scholars, Part 2
In Part 2 of our series, we continue to highlight 2020’s WCN Scholars. From Iran to Madagascar, our remaining seven... Learn More
Meet 2019 WCN Scholar Minh Nguyen
Minh Nguyen never knew that Javan rhinoceros were native to her country of Vietnam until a poacher shot the last... Learn More
Meet 2019 WCN Scholar Juan Carlos Huaranca
Juan Carlos Huaranca hears the clatter of rocks slipping beneath his hiking boots as he ascends the Bolivian Andes in... Learn More
Meet 2019 WCN Scholar Thomas Mutonhori
As the light of the sun dwindles and the sky saturates to a celestial blue, a Zimbabwean conservationist catches sight... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR Melissa Micaela Arias Goetschel
Deep in the Bolivian Amazon, far from the nearest village, a small house rests at the edge of the lush... Learn More
Meet 2019 WCN Scholar Muktar Abute
In Ethiopia’s rugged, wind-swept Bale Mountains, a rust-colored wolf cautiously approaches a chunk of fresh goat meat lying on the... Learn More
MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR Shashank Poudel
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MEET 2019 WCN SCHOLAR Teddy Mukula
WCN 2019 scholarship recipient and field biologist/ecologist Teddy Mukula kneels in the swaying golden grasses of Liuwa Plain National Park,... Learn More
Meet 2019 WCN Scholar Damber Bista
A red panda streaks through a rural village in the Himalayan foothills of Eastern Nepal, a pack of stray dogs... Learn More
One Year Later: African Marine Mammal Conservation
It’s not easy to work on your PhD and run a conservation organization at the same time. However, for Aristide... Learn More
One Year Later: The Dhole Project
Can you think back to an old class from high school or college, when at the time you were daydreaming,... Learn More
Meet 2019 WCN Scholar James Watuwa
In Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, wildlife veterinarian and WCN 2019 scholarship recipient James Watuwa works quickly to free a... Learn More
Meet 2019 WCN Scholar Jean Ferus Niyomwungeri
In Rwanda’s wetlands, the cries of water birds fill the air as Community Conservation Officer for Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association... Learn More
Today's Scholars, Tomorrow's Wildlife Heroes
As the grandson of a former hunter, Peter Abanyam knows how hunters think and work, and he uses this insider... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Saloni Bhatia
Nestled up in the snow-covered Himalayas, villagers from an isolated mountain village remain on high alert. Earlier that morning, a... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Giridhar Malla
Moonlight shimmers on the Godavari River, a sacred river of central and southeastern India, where a fishing cat crouches, motionless,... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Lucero Maria Del Carmen Vaca Leon
Deep in the jungle, the cry of howler monkeys echoes through the ruins of a Mayan pyramid. Dazzling, multi-hued butterflies... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Monsoon Khatiwada
High up in the misty mountains of Nepal, where Monsoon Khatiwada works as a wildlife conservationist, there lives a foxlike... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Phale Max Seele
Lithe and strikingly beautiful, with intense amber eyes and a graceful gait, the cheetah is world-renowned for being the fastest... Learn More
Supporting a New Generation of Wildlife Champions
An Nguyen has never seen a tiger, a leopard, or a rhino. Though much of the forests in his home... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Francy Forero
A short drive from the bustling city of Barranquilla, in northern Colombia, lies the Ceibal National forest. Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Henry Mwape
Steam rises from the ground outside the Mfuwe Day Secondary School. The air is thick with humidity and heat from... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Marina Rivero
The lake, a murky green mirror crowned by thick foliage, large boulders, and sky high trees that blotted out the... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar: Arthur Bienvenu Muneza
Although, originally from Rwanda (also known as Land of a Thousand Hills for its endless and stunning mountains),?Arthur spent his... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar: An Nguyen
The sun is at its zenith. Clouds of mosquitoes hover around An Nguyen’s head, but none of that distracts him... Learn More
Meet 2018 WCN Scholar: Agostinho Aquelino Jorge
Respect for nature runs deep in Agostinho’s family. As a boy growing up in Tete Province in central Mozambique, Agostinho... Learn More
Investing in the Future: The WCN Scholarship Program
The WCN Scholarship Program was founded ten years ago to mitigate the growing threats against our most imperiled species worldwide.?We... Learn More
Empowering Future Conservation Heroes
Protecting endangered wildlife requires a special kind of hero; one who can navigate the labyrinth of challenges wildlife face with... Learn More
2015 WCN Scholarship Winners
The WCN Scholarship Program invests in the next generation of conservation leaders by providing grants for graduate education to students... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Anya Ratnayaka
Anya's journey to protecting and conserving?fishing cats?was anything but linear. She worked with?a wide range of species before she began... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Aristide Kamla
Many people are familiar with the plight of the Florida manatee,?but Aristide Kamla has dedicated his life to the study... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Joseph Letoole
Interactions?with wildlife were?a daily?part of?Joseph's life?growing up in the Westgate Community Conservancy in Kenya—one of the first communities to organize... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Krystelle Lavaki Danford
Krystelle Lavaki Danford’s interest in wildlife conservation began?at a young age. When she was just five?years old, her father gifted... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Martial Kiki
Martial Kiki was always fond of wildlife and nature, but a?field trip to a nature park in Martial's?home country of... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Alejandra
Alejandra Rocio Torrez Traqui’s interest in Andean wildlife started during her years as an undergraduate, studying the endangered Polylepsis tree... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Rabin Kadariya
Rabin Kadariya started his career as a conservation officer in 2009 at the National Trust for Nature Conservation in Bardia... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Suraj Upadhaya
Having grown?up in rural?Nepal,?surrounded by mountains and forests,?Suraj felt a special bond?with nature at a very young age. This led... Learn More
2017 WCN Scholar: Thaís Queiroz Morcatty
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Meet WCN Scholar Deo
It was Deo Kukirawinja’s grandfather who taught him to appreciate wildlife as a child. Deo grew up in a village... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Anita
Anita Bousa has already broken new ground by being one of the few women in Laos to work in the... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Ana Francis Aurich
Growing up in rural Peru left?Ana with very few?academic opportunities. That soon changed when the Spectacled Bear Conservation Society (SBC)... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Nadia Mijiddorj
Having grown up in the rugged?landscape of Mongolia, in a?village located near the Great Gobi National Park, and coming?from a... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Jaffar
Jaffar Ud Din grew up in a pastoral village in the mountain of Pakistan, surrounded by stories of fearsome snow... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Justin Chambulila
Like most native Tanzanians, Justin grew up having a special reverence for the scores of?animals that lived in the?savannahs and... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Lara
Lara Heidel’s childhood home was in a small mountain town in Patagonia, where people and wildlife were in frequent contact.... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Pooja Choksi
Pooja’s love for the outdoors?began with her mother. Her childhood holidays involved?the two of them going on camping trips to... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Rafael Morais Chiaravalloti
Growing up in the city of San Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil, provided Rafael with few opportunities to interact directly... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Sabita Malla
Sabita grew up in a remote, rural region of western Nepal, in the Baglung district. Even as a child, she... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Tutilo Mudumba
When Tutilo left his home village in rural Uganda to attend school in the capital of Kampala, he joined a... Learn More
Meet WCN Scholar Sonam Tashi Lama
As a child, Sonam had to walk miles to simply?reach his local school. Hailing?from a remote village in Eastern Nepal... Learn More
Photography credits: Will Burrard-Lucas, Tarik Kabir, Jon McCormack, Susan McConnell, Darren Pietersen, Frank af Petersen, Corey Raffel, The MareCet Research Organization