The Tony Whitten Conservation Prize
Tony Whitten (1953–2017) was an inspirational conservationist who championed biodiversity across Asia and beyond. He was Senior Advisor at Fauna & Flora International (serving as Director of its Asia-Pacific programme), and before that Senior Biodiversity Specialist at the World Bank. Alongside helping run conservation projects across Asia, Tony did world-class work on the discovery and conservation of limestone cave invertebrates, saving many species from obliteration by the region's rapidly expanding cement industry, and having no fewer than 11 new species named in his honour. He also recently established the IUCN Cave Invertebrate Specialist Group. As a tribute to him the Cambridge Conservation Initiative is delighted to invite applications for this award for early career conservationists and biodiversity researchers from East and South-east Asia.
The prize is open to those under the age of 35 involved in any area of conservation or field biology in the region. Prizes will be awarded by a panel selected by Tony's family. The panel is particularly interested in hearing about work on the overlooked species and habitats that Tony was most passionate about—such as caves and karst ecosystems, and understudied invertebrates and fishes. The fund is able to provide three prizes of GBP 1,000 each in late 2019, with further rounds in the following 2 years. Applicants should be nationals of Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste or Viet Nam.
Application forms are available at cambridgeconservation.org/tony-whitten-conservation-prize. The deadline is midnight (GMT) on 1 September 2019. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of 2019.
Cambridge MPhil in Conservation Leadership: applications and scholarship support for October 2020
The MPhil degree in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge is a full-time, 11 month course aimed at graduates of leadership potential with at least 3 years of relevant experience in biodiversity conservation. Based in the University's Department of Geography, a unique feature of this course is its delivery by members of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI), a partnership between six university departments and nine conservation organizations or networks based in and around Cambridge. The MPhil in Conservation Leadership has a dedicated teaching room within the David Attenborough Building, offering students access to leading conservation practitioners and researchers.
The MPhil focuses on issues of management and leadership. It aims to develop conservationists with enhanced awareness of the complex drivers of biodiversity loss and the ability to act and lead effectively. The course delivers a world-class and interdisciplinary education in Conservation Leadership that is not available elsewhere.
Applications open in September 2019 for entry to the course in October 2020. For application details please visit the course website: geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation. The closing date for applications will be early December 2019. Please check the website for updates. There is no application fee for students from the least developed and other low income countries. For further information on eligibility for a fee waiver please see graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/how-do-i-apply/application-fee.
We are pleased to be able to offer Miriam Rothschild Scholarships in Conservation Leadership, and a number of other scholarships, to support students attending the MPhil. These scholarships cover full fees and living expenses. Successful applicants for scholarships will have outstanding conservation leadership potential but be unable to fund their studies from other sources. Priority for scholarships will be given to those from countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources. Various other awards are available through sources such as the Cambridge Trusts. If you have any queries about making an application, please contact the Programme Administrator, Lisa Harris ([email protected]).
Call for applications for the Whitley Awards 2020
The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a UK registered charity offering Whitley Awards to outstanding nature conservation leaders around the developing world. Whitley Awards are both an international profile prize and project grant (currently GBP 40,000 over 1 year).
WFN aims to:
• Identify, recognize and fund the world's most dynamic, inspirational and effective conservation leaders and their teams working in middle- and low-income countries.
• Focus on local leaders who are nationals of the countries or regions where they are working.
• Support work that is founded on scientific research, practical action and community involvement, with a proven track record of success.
• Place a high value on projects that have achieved groundswell grassroots support. Often those funded have helped set up a local NGO but are now ready to scale up significantly.
• Fund pragmatic projects that aim to have a measurable, long-lasting impact.
• Boost the national and international profile of winners and help them network effectively, educate others, and raise public awareness of the problems facing biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide.
Whitley Awards are the result of a competitive process. The annual Whitley Awards Ceremony is held at the Royal Geographical Society in London each spring, where the awards are presented by our patron HRH The Princess Royal. Winners of the Whitley Awards join WFN's growing network of over 200 conservation leaders in more than 80 countries. We stay in close contact with winners and the most successful can apply for further funding through our Continuation Funding programme with grants up to GBP 100,000 over 2 years.
If you are a dynamic, innovative conservationist who would like to gain publicity, media training and funding for your project, working outside the developed world, we invite you to apply to us for The Whitley Awards 2020. The deadline for applications for the next Whitley Awards is 31 October 2019. Potential applicants can read more about the eligibility requirements at whitleyaward.org. The application form and detailed guidance notes will be available from August.
Please note that WFN does not fund undergraduate projects, expeditions, Master's research, pure research or PhD work. If you have any questions regarding the Whitley Awards, please email [email protected].
Conservation Leadership Programme
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a training and capacity-building programme that targets early-career conservationists from developing countries who demonstrate leadership potential. This partnership of BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society has been supporting young conservationists for over 33 years by awarding project funding, training, networking and mentoring support.
In 2020 CLP expects to grant Future Conservationist Awards for new applicants and Conservation Follow-up and Leadership Awards for previous grantees. The application deadline for 2020 awards will be in November 2019 and application materials should be available on the CLP website in August. Awards will be announced in April 2020. Applicants are encouraged to contact a CLP staff member ([email protected]) for advice well before the application deadline. Conservation Leadership Programme Ambassadors (previous grantees) can help teams determine if their project fits the specified criteria, and offer advice on methods and project activities. Conservation Leadership Programme staff can put teams in touch with local partner offices or other experts who can provide additional advice. Please check facebook.com/CLPawards and twitter.com/CLPawards for updates on the call for applications. Eligibility criteria, award guidelines and the application form will be available online at conservationleadershipprogramme.org.
