Today, this year’s KfW Foundation scholars pitch their project proposals. Good luck to all of them. A lot of hard work went into the project proposals before, during and after the four weeks of Spring School. While we await the decision on this year’s winners, you can test yourself: Which of the projects matches your conservation interests the most?
Our quiz has five questions. Make sure to note down the number of the answer you selected for each question. That will be essential for the outcome of the game!
A. Which challenge in nature conservation interests you the most?
1. Conversion of natural habitat for agriculture.
2. Deforestation as a result of illegal mining.
3. Endangered species suffering from habitat loss.
4. Endangered species threatened by poaching.
5. Human rights violations.
6. Deforestation due to population growth.
B. Which component in nature conservation is important to you?
1. Promoting sustainable agriculture and forest management in local communities.
2. Monitoring forest cover to detect illegal deforestation.
3. Re-introduction of endangered species.
4. Monitoring wildlife.
5. Assuring human rights and law enforcement.
6. Assuring sustainable livelihoods of local communities and connectivity between habitats.
C. What’s your favourite species?
1. Maned wolf – is it a fox? Is it a wolf? Neither!
2. Jaguar – gotta love big cats.
3. Orangutan of course!
4. Can’t really decide between black rhinos or elephants – both are awesome.
5. Bonobo and elephants.
6. Chimpanzees – our closest relatives!
D. Which tools and methods would you like to apply while working in a conservation project?
1. Smart strategies to promote sustainable local products and collaborations between communities.
2. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (“drones”) and maps.
3. Telemetry and behavioural observations.
4. Camera traps and habitat assessments.
5. New communication mechanisms with the local community.
6. Beekeeping, microfinance and wildlife corridors.
E. In which country would you like to work in the field of nature conservation?
1. Brazil.
2. Guyana.
3. Indonesia.
4. Zambia.
5. Congo.
6. Tanzania.
Did you remember to write down the number of each answer? Have a look to see which number you selected the most. This indicates which project from this year’s KfW Foundation scholars suits you best:
Project 1: Sustainable use of socio-biodiversity in the Brazilian Savanna, Cerrado, Brazil by Carolina Siqueira
Project 2: Using Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) to enhance the monitoring activities across Guyana’s National Protected Areas System, Guyana by Timothy Babb
Project 3: Improvement of monitoring and evaluation standards of reintroduced sumatran orangutan in the Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape, Indonesia by Andhani Hartanti
Project 4: Assessing the impacts of the increasing elephant population on the rhino sanctuary in North Luangwa National Park, Zambia by Issah Mulilo
Project 5: Support for the implementation of the complaints management mechanism against abuses by eco-guards of the Salonga National Park, DR Congo by Hervé Kimoni
Project 6: Livelihood improvements in the wildlife corridor villages, Tanganyika District, Tanzania by Regina Domonko
Authors: Dafna Gilad and Vera Pfannerstill.
P.S.: The frog in the top image is a glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium crurifasciatum), photographed near the Jordan Falls in Kanuku Mountains Protected Area, Guyana by Daniel Rosengren.
Jeldrik Schröer / FZS
“I am very pleased to have learned a lot about the design of a conservation project and to have strengthened my capacity on communication methods and conflict management. My expectations have been fully met.”
“For me personally the most interesting part of the Spring School was training provided by Martin Davies and Nick Folkard. It was absolutely amazing to be taught by experienced fundraisers who earned dozens of millions for nature conservation projects around the world. Spring School met my expectations 100% and I appreciate this great opportunity to be trained by highly-qualified professionals with wagon of knowledge in project management.”
“For me, the highlight of the spring school has definitely been the friends I have made. We have been so fortunate to have such an incredible group of people that have become like a little family. My expectations were met and exceeded – I have enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.”
“The highlight was the excursion to Kellerwald Edersee National Park! It’s such a privilege to be part of the Spring School, but also that an excursion with bus etc. is organized for us to see such a special place! I think most people enjoyed being outside a lot after weeks of studying inside and the information provided by the staff was great. My expectations were totally met! I think it is special to have facilitators from all kinds of areas teaching us in a huge variety of topics relevant for successful conservation work. I particularly liked the input from people who worked in conservation projects on the ground. That was really hands-on.”
Jeldrik Schroer
For me it was a really good experience to learn from their [experts] experiences, as I will soon finish my masters and start looking for a job.”
I found it very interesting to gain insights about their own careers: their personal career path was inspiring.”
It gave me insights of what characteristics you should have as a young conservationist – resilience, determination and to keep going. It was very encouraging to know that it was also hard for them when they started out their career.”
You don’t get this opportunity at university – to talk to staff and learn from their experiences. One advice I learned was to plan carefully how much you want to dedicate to conservation and where you want to see yourself in five years.”
Daniel Rosengren
