Spring School

The 8th Frankfurt Spring School successfully completed!

That’s a wrap! After four intense and insightful weeks another wonderful FSS came to an end with the handover of certificates and an amazing closing event on Friday evening.

Most of the students have already returned to their (19 in total) home countries and regions, taking with them new skills, a network of conservationists from around the world, great memories and friends for life. Throughout the course, they gained insight into different areas of conservation project management, ranging from project planning and management, to sessions on finance, communications and HR, to workshops on leadership or personal impressions. The next step is to use all these valuable resources for the benefit of nature and people in their future endeavours.

The 6 KfW Stiftung Fellows we introduced in our last post will be staying a little longer in Frankfurt to finalise their project proposals before the announcement of the winning projects in early April. Good luck in the final days!

Finally, the FSS team would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the FSS 2025. A big thank you especially to our partners, donors, all the trainers and the 32 participants who made the last four weeks an amazing time.

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Spring School

FSS 2025 is around the corner

We’re thrilled to announce that 31 passionate conservationists from 18 countries will be coming to Frankfurt this February to take part in the Frankfurt Spring School 2025! United by their dedication to wildlife and biodiversity, they will form the next generation of conservation project managers.

A special highlight: Through the KfW Stiftung Fellowship, six outstanding participants from the Global South will develop their own conservation projects in their home regions. This year, we proudly welcome:

 

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Alex Stewart – Guyana, and his project on fishing pressures on Giant River Otters within the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area.

“It gives me great pleasure to know that my efforts are contributing to the conservation of this species by providing critical data that will fill knowledge gaps and inform future management decisions.”

 


Godbless1Godbless Monyo – Tanzania, aiming to strengthen air support for African Rhinos in the battle Against Poachers in Serengeti National Park.

“I am enthusiastic about strengthening my managerial skills to enhance conservation impact and create a well organized and efficient working environment for my team.”

 

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Isnaini Marliana – Indonesia, and her project on Sustainable Snapper and Grouper Fisheries Management in Aceh Province.

“The program aligns perfectly with my goal of improving conservation management strategies to build both biological and economic sustainability.”

 

 

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Christelle Razafindrakoto – Madagascar, aiming to improve the status of Chondrichthyans in Antongil Bay – Makira Masoala Baie d’Antongil landscape.

“Thanks to this training, I will be able to make a significant contribution to the conservation of marine ecosystems.”



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Jacob Mphasi – Zambia, with the goal to enhance fence integrity and wildlife monitoring through Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tools (SMART).

“I look forward to connecting with conservationists worldwide, learning more about the organization’s commitment to conservation.”

 

 

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Asri Lestari – Indonesia, and her project on private managed conservation areas as the Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM).

“I am deeply honored to receive this scholarship, as it holds great significance for my career and personal development.”

 

 

 

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Spring School

Level Up Your Conservation Career: Join the 2025 Frankfurt Spring School!

The eighth Frankfurt Spring School on Conservation Project Management will take place at Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, from 24th February to 21st March 2025.

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Don’t miss this unique crash course for conservationists! Over four intense weeks, international experts will teach you essential skills in conservation project management, human resources, financial management, leadership, and tackling emerging conservation challenges.

The programme includes much more than just workshops. You’ll get hands-on wilderness conservation experience during an exciting excursion to Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. Plus, connect with industry veterans and fellow participants at our interactive “Speed-Dating” networking event.

Since its start, the Frankfurt Spring School has helped over 200 early-career conservationists from around the world sharpen their skills to take on today’s conservation challenges. Are you passionate about conservation and ready to make an impact? Then the Frankfurt Spring School is the perfect fit for you.

Click here to get more information on how to apply! The application deadline is 10th November 2024.

Download the announcement for Frankfurt Spring School 2025 here.

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Spring School

Frankfurt Spring School Alumni has won the Bernhard-Grzimek-Price

We’re super excited to share that Andhani Hartanti a Frankfurt Spring School alumni has just been recognized with a major award: the KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek-Price 2024.

 

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So who is Andhani? She participated in 2019 in the Frankfurt Spring School as a KfW fellow, developing a project on orangutans in Sumatra. For the past eight year she has been fighting to protect the last large lowland rainforest area on the island, working tirelessly to establish a new, self-sustaining orangutan population in the Bukit Tiga Puluh region. As a dedicated vet and head of the FZS’s jungle school, she’s been caring for orphaned orangutans and getting them ready to thrive in the wild again.

As Andhani came to Frankfurt for the award ceremony we were able to squeeze in an interview to look back at her time in the FSS.

She really liked the course, the mentors and the friends that she made from all over the world. As a KfW fellow her favorite part was working on her project with the group. The four weeks impacted her quite a lot, because they gave her lots of skills and tools to work in conservation. And also a huge motivation boost to continuously develop further skills and connect with other conservationists all over the world.

Her advice for the young generation is: if you love to work in the field and in conservation, join FSS, it’ll give you a head start for your career!

Her dedication is truly inspiring, and we’re so proud to celebrate her success.

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Spring School

Frankfurt Spring School – A learning experience like no other

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Participants of the Frankfurt Spring School on Conservation Management have a full schedule. At the same time, it is also an enriching experience.
The four-week workshop consists of various formats and topics to give a full-circle overview of nature conservation project management.

Participants get exclusive access to conservation experts. The experts will give lectures and participants will have the opportunity to discuss and exchange with them.
They will also form strong bonds, broadening their knowledge further by learning from each other, as their network will comprise people from over 30 countries.

To apply what they have learned in theory, participants will have the chance to work on real-life projects from various areas of the world brought to them by fellow participants.
And to round up the experience, they will also enjoy different out-of-classroom events, enabling them to get to know each other better and venture into the city of Frankfurt and German nature. To give a sneak-peak: there will be a visit to a national park and an evening where all the participants will come together and cook their favorite food for each other.

If you are interested, then set a reminder: the application phase for the 2025 edition will start in autumn 2024.

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Spring School

Frankfurt Spring School 2024

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Another successful Frankfurt Spring School has come to an end. The course took place from 19th of February to 15th of March and was an immersive experience with courses covering topics from project idea to the development and management of a project.

The international group of 32 participants from over 20 different countries had the chance to engage with experts forming them in various topics and sharing their rich knowledge in classes but also evening events like Speed Dating (where they could meet & talk to practitioners in a nice setting) and Conservation Cafés (discussion evenings). Due to their diverse backgrounds participants were further inspiring each other and created a great atmosphere throughout the four weeks.

As for every Spring School 3 projects received grants from the KfW Stiftung, this year they went to Madagascar, Peru & Zambia.

For more impressions you can check out our Instagram and LinkedIn profiles.

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Spring School

FRANKFURT SPRING SCHOOL ENTERS A NEW ROUND – APPLY NOW!

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Already for the seventh time, the Frankfurt Spring School on Conservation Project Management will take place at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main in spring 2024. Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in Germany’s unique crash course for conservationists from 19th February to 15th March 2024! In four intensive weeks, experienced international experts will train you in conservation project management, human resources and personnel management, financial management, performance skills and new challenges in conservation. Besides the interactive workshops at the Goethe University, the programme includes also an excursion to the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park for a first-hand experience of wilderness conservation and a “Speed-Dating” event where you can network with conservation veterans and your Spring School fellows.

Over the last years, over 180 motivated early career conservationists from across the globe came together to improve their knowledge and skills to successfully manage the world’s conservation challenges. Do you have a passion for conservation, a strong work ethic and the drive to improve? Then, the Frankfurt Spring School is just the place for you.

Click here to learn how to apply! Application deadline is 15th November 2023.

Download the announcement for Frankfurt Spring School 2024 here.

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Spring School

Frankfurt Spring School 2022 finished – and Winners of the KfW Foundation Scholarships selected

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After a long break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we could finally run the Frankfurt Spring School again this year – not yet in spring, but at least in autumn! The course took place from 19 September till 14 October in the regular format. Again three Spring School participants won a grant from KfW Development Bank to implement project plans they developed in the frame of the course. If you’d like to find out more, have a look at this article: https://fzs.org/en/news/a-boost-for-future-conservation-project-leaders/

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Spring School

The first Frankfurt Spring School Seminar Series has started

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Yesterday, a small group of early career conservationists from 14 different countries attended the kick-off evening of the first Frankfurt Spring School online Seminar Series. During the two hours, the participants were introduced to all Frankfurt Spring School partners and in the second half, Dr. Christof Schenck from FZS captured their attention with an inspiring key-note speech about the “Evil awakening and glimmer of hope”.

Over the next four months, the participants will get every Monday evening online for two hours an insight into project management, proposal writing, financing and social and environmental safeguards, and will hear in the last seminar in July from KfW Foundation Alumni about their projects how they worked out. This seminar series is offered in combination with the four weeks of Frankfurt “Spring” School in September/October, when the participants get the chance to deepen their knowledge in Frankfurt.

We wish you all an insightful four months of online seminars!

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Spring School

Hard work pays off – Rinzin Phunjok Lama wins the WWF Nepal Conservation Awards 2020

Exactly a year ago, the Frankfurt Spring School took place and among the participants was also Rinzin Phunjok Lama. He is one of the first conservationists of the Humla district in north-western Nepal and has led several conservation efforts to protect snow leopards, Himalayan wolves, blue sheep and pikas across Nepal’s snow leopard landscapes. In 2018, he and some colleagues managed to photograph snow leopards in the Humla region – it was the first evidence of snow leopards outside of the protected area in Nepal. They also confirmed the recolonization of wolves in the Manang region after more than four decades of its local extinction.

Now, Rinzin won the WWF Nepal Conservation Award, an award that recognizes and honors individuals and organizations at the grassroots level that have made significant contributions to protect Nepal’s rich biodiversity. We congratulate Rinzin to this great achievement and wish him all the best of luck with his work as conservation biologist and conservation program director at Third Pole Conservancy and as executive board member of Mountain Spirit.

IMG_6413Rinzin in the Phu Valley of Manang, Annapurna Conservation Area during a snow leopard and blue sheep survey in the Spring of 2019. © Marc Filla

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