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Asia Regional Training Week: Supporting Conservation Leaders

12 conservation leaders from across Asia came together for a unique exchange of knowledge, skills, and experiences.

From 16th-20th September, we held our third Regional Winner Training Week as part of WFN’s Network Development programme. The week was hosted by 2022 Gold Award winner, Charu Mishra and the Snow Leopard Trust in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia.

One of the primary goals of our Network Development programme is to foster South-South collaboration. By bringing together 12 members of the WFN Alumni Network in person, we were able to facilitate the sharing of their personal and professional experiences and learnings.

Whitley Award alumni attending the training week discuss conservation project management solutions.
Whitley Award alumni attending the training week discuss conservation project management solutions.

 

Meeting Participants’ Needs

Whitley Award alumni from across Asia led and participated in hands-on workshops with a focus on ethical, community-based conservation, as well as dedicated sessions on conservation project planning and wellbeing for those in leadership roles. With over 240 years of experience between them, the participants have a wealth of knowledge that they shared with one another to expand on innovative solutions for biodiversity protection.

The week’s schedule of learning was based on the needs of the participants and was a mix of peer-to-peer sessions, facilitated discussions and training. Throughout the week, workshops provided valuable tools and frameworks to enhance the effectiveness of their teams and their projects back home, including an introduction to the Ethical Conservation Movement and sessions on Conservation Standards led by consultant, Felix Cybulla.

Felix Cybulla teaches Conservation Standards as part of the 2024 Winner Network Development training programme.
Felix Cybulla teaches Conservation Standards as part of the 2024 Winner Network Development training programme.

Peer led sessions were also held on topics, including:

  • Community outreach and conservation education campaigns
  • Tackling the illegal wildlife trade
  • Corporate fundraising
  • Wellbeing and burnout

2013 Whitley Award winner, Aparajita Datta leads a programme to conserve hornbills in the Indian Eastern Himalayas. She highlighted the usefulness of these trainings for senior leaders and their teams back home:

“Even though I’ve worked in the field for many years, learning about Conservation Standards was useful for me, as it makes you think and plan in a certain way. It has motivated me to look at things that we haven’t been doing that we might need to do, and to communicate this with my team.”

2013 Whitley Award winner, Aparajita Datta, speaks with out with fellow conservation leaders.
2013 Whitley Award winner, Aparajita Datta, speaks with out with fellow conservation leaders.

 

Building A Support System

The week also focused on the need for conservationists to connect face-to-face, on a personal level. Fostering a safe space for participants enabled them to share open and honest insights to their experiences and challenges. Down time between sessions and conversations held over shared meals brought the participants together, resulting in the camaraderie of exchanging anecdotes and laughter throughout the week.

Many attendees, and especially those who work in isolation, commented that weeks like this make them feel less alone in their long term efforts to save biodiversity.

2016 Whitley Award winner, Farwiza Farhan, works to save Sumatra’s iconic species in the Leuser Ecosystem, Indonesia. She highlighted the importance of connecting with other leaders:

“As a leader and a conservationist, the perception that you have all the answers can sometimes weigh down on you, but when you get to connect with other leaders and see them as another human being…it allows you to also bring your vulnerable self and gives space for you to see one another as someone who can learn and grow.”

2011 Whitley Award winner Dr Hotlin Ompusunggu leads a session on wellbeing and burnout.
2011 Whitley Award winner Dr Hotlin Ompusunggu leads a session on wellbeing and burnout.

Dr Hotlin Ompusunggu, who won a Whitley Award in 2011, is a dentist turned conservationist, working to protect orangutans and improve the health of people living around the forests of Borneo. She presented a session on personal and team wellbeing, talking about the importance of mental health. She said:

“Before I ran the Team Wellbeing session, I checked to see if my peers need that session, as I thought they all seem well, happy and fulfilled. To my surprise I had a very strong encouragement that the topic is important… I realized that this topic also brings us closer together as a group to openly share our lows, fears, and how we keep strong as a leader in our mostly lonely position.”

 

Putting Theory into Practice

The week concluded with a field trip to Shamshy Gorge a picturesque valley on the northern edge of snow leopard habitat. Once a prime hunting spot for trophy hunters from Bishkek, it is now a sanctuary for leopards, lynx, ibex and other endangered wildlife thanks to the work of the Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) and their partners.

2011 Whitley Award winner Hotlin Ompusunggu and 2014 Whitley Award winner Fitry Pakiding enjoy the outdoors.
2011 Whitley Award winner Hotlin Ompusunggu and 2014 Whitley Award winner Fitry Pakiding enjoy the outdoors.

SLT’s Country Director, Kuban Jumabai uulu, gave attendees insights into the local conservation challenges and opportunities. He said:

Local communities can be our best allies for conservation, our goal is for them to be proud of this reserve, and feel that it’s theirs as much as ours.”

This extraordinary landscape provided a backdrop to witness the translation of conservation theory into practice. The attendees explored Shamshy’s diverse ecosystems and the trip provided a welcome break into nature after being in the classroom.

2020 Whitley Award winner Yoki Hadiprakarsa looks for snow leopards in Shamshy Gorge. As a 2020 lockdown winner, this training was the first opportunity Yokyok has had to meeting other Whitley almuni in person.
2020 Whitley Award winner Yoki Hadiprakarsa looks for snow leopards in Shamshy Gorge. As a 2020 lockdown winner, this training was the first opportunity Yokyok has had to meeting other Whitley almuni in person.

 

With Thanks

Supported by Hempel Foundation, this Regional Winner Training week was instrumental in bringing together dedicated conservation leaders and amplifying their impact. Together, we’ve strengthened our collective mission of protecting biodiversity and empowering local communities to lead the way in conservation.

Whitley Award winners take a break while exploring Shamshy Gorge.
Whitley Award winners take a break while exploring Shamshy Gorge.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Charu Mishra, our hosts at the Snow Leopard Trust, and all of the session leaders and attendees who made this week so impactful, with a special thank you to Hempel Foundation for their continued support of our Network Development programme.

 

Looking Ahead

Their work now continues beyond their return home. These leaders are committed to share the learnings from the training week with their teams and colleagues – ensuring the knowledge gained ripples outwards and has wider impact.

We are grateful to all those who attended and gave such openness and commitment to this shared personal and professional development, building upon the success of past training weeks in Kenya and Brazil. We are excited to continue developing the programme and integrating new ideas and learnings as we plan for the next training week.

2024 Whitley Award winner Raju Acharya listens in to a session.
2024 Whitley Award winner Raju Acharya listens to a peer-led session.

In 2025, we will return to Africa, where this initiative began. Bringing a mix of previous and new attendees, the next training will build on what we have covered so far, strengthening the connections between this network.

“Overall, it was a lovely heart-warming and soul-enriching experience due to the time we had for conversations, sharing, and just for fun and laughter, learning from each, the connections we made”

2014 Whitley Award winner Melvin Gumal and 2024 Gold Award winner Purnima Devi Barman.
2014 Whitley Award winner Melvin Gumal and 2024 Gold Award winner Purnima Devi Barman.