“We can’t wait for people to become conservationists anymore,” streamer and wildlife educator Maya Higa told us at this year’s Wildlife Conservation Network Expo. “We have to go get them.” As our guest emcee, the founder of Alveus Sanctuary spent the day celebrating the idea, and she wasn’t the only one. The attendees themselves told the same story. Some came to see Maya, others brought their own passion for wildlife, and together they made this one of the largest—and youngest—Expo crowds in years.

“We can’t wait for people to become conservationists anymore,” streamer and wildlife educator Maya Higa told us at this year’s Wildlife Conservation Network Expo. “We have to go get them.” As our guest emcee, the founder of Alveus Sanctuary spent the day doing just that—inspiring packed crowds to take action for wildlife conservation. The audience included everyone from established supporters who have been attending Expo for decades—and powering WCN’s conservation work around the world for just as long—to younger animal lovers who are just starting to explore what they can do to protect wildlife. Together, they made this one of the largest and most dynamic Expo crowds in years.

Honoring a Pioneer of Elephant Conservation

The day opened in both auditoriums with warm welcomes from WCN CEO JG Collomb upstairs and Chief Programs Officer Paul Thomson downstairs. And while this Expo was focused firmly on the future, Expo attendees paused to look back at one of the pioneers who helped set our course, honoring Save the Elephants (STE) founder Iain Douglas-Hamilton. STE was one of WCN’s first partners, and Iain’s decades of work helped define modern elephant conservation. “He was one of the most consequential wildlife conservationists of the 20th century,” said JG. “To many of us here, he made us feel like family. I will personally remember him for his contagious energy and optimism—qualities that I see in abundance as I look around the auditorium today. Iain believed deeply in the power of human relationships—the power of connection to drive conservation.” Iain’s memory set the tone for a day that celebrated both the legacies that shaped conservation and the next generation now stepping into it.

No Two Expos Are Alike

Hundreds of conservation fans were in attendance—some for the first time, and many who’ve attended five, ten, or more Expos over the years. “This is our 25th Fall Wildlife Conservation Expo!” said Paul. “25 Expos: That’s a lot of conservationists and a lot of supporters showing up year after year—and a lot of wildlife that has benefitted as a result.” While every Expo offers a combination of inspiration, surprises, and hope, asserted Paul, “No two Expos are alike.”

From there, the program continued across two stages, and choosing between them was the hardest decision of the day. Luckily we recorded everything, and so you can still watch any session that you missed. We will be adding individual video links as they become available, but for now you can watch the full recorded livestream from the Robertson Stage, and the Fisher Stage. Highlights from the day include:

• The Blue Frontier: Global Penguin Society (GPS), Misool Foundation, and MareCet took us into the vast wilderness beneath the waves. Pablo García Borboroglu of GPS invited penguin fans to follow tagged Magellanic penguins online. Some are named for celebrities—Taylor Swift, for one, has swum more than 1,500 miles this year.
• Underdogs: Hirola Conservation Program, Grevy’s Zebra Trust and Saiga Conservation Alliance made the case for less-than-famous species that face very real threats. Peter Damerell of Saiga Conservation Alliance introduced the saiga, a boom-and-bust species whose numbers can soar and collapse in a single season. The droopy-nosed antelope won over 15-year-old Sofia Vitek, a high school junior who came to the Expo with her aunt. “I’ve learned about so many new animal species that I didn’t even know existed until today,” she said. Sofia plans to keep researching saiga, and the day left an even bigger mark. “This whole event has really inspired me to look towards conservation as a specialty,” she said.
• High Altitude Mysteries: Andean Cat Alliance, Spectacled Bear Conservation and the Upper Karnali Landscape Initiative carried us to new heights, where mountain habitats are both captivating and fragile. Attendees learned about the immense challenge of protecting species that roam such vast ranges, from Andean cats and spectacled bears to snow leopards.
• Reducing Wildlife Conflict: When people and wildlife share a landscape, conflict can be a matter of survival. Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Hutan, the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, and Painted Dog Fund shared how they work alongside local communities to find solutions. For Hutan’s Elie Ancrenaz—who showed a picture of himself at age 5 or 6 among other community children learning about conservation—it’s personal. His parents founded Hutan in Malaysian Borneo. Today, he carries it forward in a landscape where orangutans and people live side by side.
• A Bustling Marketplace: Some of the best conversations at Expo didn’t play out on the stages, but in our marketplace where animal lovers, emerging conservationists and longtime supporters converged. There they shopped for everything from single-origin chocolate that helps protect rainforest habitat, to okapi plushies, getting a chance to interact one-on-one with conservationists from around the world at their booths.

Expo attendees—no matter their age or background—share a passion for wildlife. But what’s next?

“Everybody loves animals. When you give them a call to action and the ability to help in a way that’s accessible to them, they act. They help.” — Maya Higa

For WCN and all of the conservationists who took part in Expo, we are looking forward to another year of doing just that. Of turning our love for wildlife into action to protect it.

The post WCN’s Wildlife Conservation Expo 2026 Keeps an Eye on the Future appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

Gaps like these threaten to undermine investment in wildlife conservation, and WCN has long recognized the need to close them. Since 2019, we have supported 41 wildlife veterinarians and veterinary students with scholarships and career development through our Rising Wildlife Leaders program. Now, we are building on that foundation to launch a dedicated Wildlife Veterinary Program.

The program will provide wildlife vets with specialized training opportunities, mentorship, and scholarships. It will also help pay for the diagnostic equipment that is so often absent from the field. And perhaps most importantly, it will build a network of wildlife veterinarians through site exchanges and regional training hubs, allowing them to share knowledge and reducing the isolation that can push talented vets out of the field. And while this is a new program, it is also exactly the kind of work that WCN does best—effectively deploying resources to the field, connecting conservationists with one another, and equipping them with the skills and equipment they need to be successful. 

The result will be a boon not just for the vets themselves and the conservation projects that they support, but also for the wildlife that we all care so much about. Healthier herds, prides, and litters.

The post Introducing WCN’s Wildlife Veterinary Program appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

Now, at first glance you might wonder why an organization like MarAlliance, which works to conserve marine wildlife, would be involved in a beekeeping project. What could a honeybee possibly have to do with a critically endangered scalloped hammerhead shark, or a threatened whiptail stingray? But the answer was right there, in the tangled mangrove forest beyond the beehive. 

Sitting at the intersection of land and sea, mangroves are among the most productive coastal ecosystems on Earth. They buffer the shore against storms and provide sheltering nurseries for sharks, rays, and a host of other fish species. But in Central America, many mangrove forests have been degraded by agricultural conversion, logging, and development. Their health and recovery depend, at least in part, on increased pollination. And pollination depends on bees.

A solution for mangroves, and for local communities

Andrés and the MarAlliance team knew that they could not protect those mangroves, and the wildlife that depend on them, without the participation of the local community. So they designed a pilot program that put the community needs front and center. The mangrove needed more pollination to increase seed production, and the people of Puerto Remedios needed a source of supplemental food and income. Beehives could help satisfy both.

As a result of MarAlliance’s successful pilot earlier this year, a cooperative of 23 fishermen in Puerto Remedios is now managing hives that pollinate nearly 100 acres of mangrove forest and will produce about 5 gallons of honey per hive, per year. Some of that honey will be sold, with the rest going directly into household pantries. 

A first step toward something bigger

While the bees at Puerto Remedios are already helping improve the health of mangrove forests, for MarAlliance the project is also about building relationships. Partnering with coastal communities to protect marine ecosystems is a long-term project—one which requires trust. The sort of trust that’s earned through benefits a community can feel right away, rather than through appeals to distant ecological outcomes. And based on the success of this pilot, MarAlliance is now bringing it to a river system in the Darién Gap, working with an Indigenous women’s group who stand to gain the same combination of income, food security, and a stronger stake in forest health.

It may be an ecological cliché to say “everything is connected.” But few examples make that clearer than a bee pollinating a mangrove flower, and in doing so, helping sustain both local communities and coastal ecosystems.

The post Protecting Sharks with… Bees? appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

In northwest Namibia, rainfall is scarce and increasingly erratic, so people and the elephants that are moving across the vast landscape are competing for the same few water points, which is a recipe for human-elephant conflict.

That conflict damages valuable pumps, tanks, kraals and gardens. When tolerance for elephants falls, it’s the elephants who pay the price.

Collar data show bulls ranging from the Ugab River towards Etosha, across farms and conservancies with very different attitudes to wildlife. A guard post in one spot is not able to keep up with that.

Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) knows this landscape well. The team has spent over 20 years monitoring the elephants here, keeping ID files on 197 known individuals, and reported conflict in their core area has fallen steadily since 2023 due to their efforts.

Based on this data, EHRA, funded by the Elephant Crisis Fund, is setting up a Mobile Coexistence Unit: this will be a vehicle-based team of responders and educators who will follow the conflict as it shifts. They will provide and teach night guarding tactics, support urgent “HEC first aid” repairs and install low-cost deterrents like chili barriers, sensor-triggered lights and bee sounds. Women are now being recruited as educators, and village water committees will be piloted as coexistence committees, so that communities increasingly lead prevention themselves.

The lessons learned reach well beyond Namibia. As climate change threatens to bring drier years to much of southern Africa, competition over water is likely to become one of the biggest drivers of conflict between people and elephants in the future. EHRA is already working in a place where that future has arrived, testing what it takes to keep both sides safe when every drop of water counts. If the mobile approach works here, it offers a practical model that other coexistence sites across the continent can adapt, long before their own waterholes run low.

The post Following the Herd: Elephant-Human Relations Aid’s Mobile Coexistence Unit and the Future of Arid-Land Elephant Conservation in a Changing Climate appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

The zebras are part of a larger operation that recently moved about 595 animals from Etosha National Park into Khaudum National Park, Nyae Nyae community conservancy, and the Damaraland region. Years of drought stripped grazing bare in Damaraland, while in Khaudum and Nyae Nyae, decades-old veterinary fences—built to keep cattle and wildlife separate, but ultimately blocking migration and access to water—and poaching nearly wiped out zebra and impala populations. The animals were translocated by Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism with support from the LRF, the Conservation Travel Foundation, and KCT. LRF Director Peter Lindsey says the translocations provide more than just nourishment for lions. “When lions have enough wild prey to hunt, they’re less likely to turn to livestock, easing the human-wildlife conflict that often ends in retaliatory killings,” he says. “With prey species back on the ground and communities invested in what happens next, we’re hopeful for the future of wildlife in Damaraland and Nyae Nyae.” 

The lion population across the Khaudum–Nyae Nyae system had stalled at fewer than a dozen animals for over a decade. That began to change four years ago, when KCT and its partners started reintroducing zebra and impala to landscapes where both species had disappeared; those animals have since gone through three breeding seasons. Lise, who tracks lion numbers as a living scorecard for the landscape’s health, added six cubs to the tally this season. “They’re doing great,” she says. “Before, when we’d see cubs, they’d disappear—there wasn’t enough food. Now they’re surviving, growing, and eventually having their own cubs.” The system’s lion population has surpassed 55. “It’s a complete turnaround,” she says.

“It’s especially meaningful because these animals go into landscapes managed by the people who live alongside them—Namibia’s community-led conservation is recognized worldwide.”  — Peter Lindsey

For LRF, it’s evidence, Peter says, that a struggling landscape, and the lions in it, can recover. It’s no small feat—relocating hundreds of animals is a massive undertaking. But there are also lighter moments, says Lise, who recalls one translocation in particular. When a giraffe descended from the truck into his new landscape one morning, he lowered his enormous head and looked her in the eye. She swiftly retreated; “It was the size of a skyscraper!” Looking back, she’s sure it was more curiosity than threat—in fact, these operations always remind her why she works in conservation. “It’s such a rewarding thing, putting wild animals back into the wild to make that area better.”

The post Zebras, Giraffes, and a Lion Comeback appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

How fitting it is that only weeks later, RWCA founder Dr. Olivier Nsengimana was named to TIME’s 2026 TIME100 Next list.

Recognition for Olivier, and for Conservation

The TIME100 Next list looks ahead, spotlighting emerging leaders across business, culture, science, and advocacy whose work is shaping the future. Olivier’s inclusion signals a growing recognition that protecting wildlife is central to that future, and that the people leading that work deserve a place among its most influential voices.

In selecting Olivier, TIME has highlighted what we here at WCN have long admired about his approach—a conviction that conservation succeeds only when communities are at its heart. Through RWCA, community members have become crane protectors, local rangers now patrol the wetlands at Rugezi Marsh, and the country’s illegal crane trade has been halted. It is truly a locally-owned success story, and one that Rwandans will continue developing in the years ahead.

That story also now extends beyond Rwanda’s borders, as Olivier is expanding crane conservation across East Africa, alongside partners in Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi. WCN is proud to count RWCA among our Conservation Partners, and celebrates this richly-deserved recognition for Olivier Nsengimana. You can read about his selection by TIME here.

The post Olivier Nsengimana Named to the 2026 TIME100 Next List appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

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“Our cities, our roads, these features in the landscape can sever migration paths or make it impossible for animals to live their day-to-day lives,” says Neal Sharma, who leads WCN’s California Wildlife Program (CWP). “One of the things we know we need to do for California is get wildlife crossings built in key locations so animals can move throughout the landscape.”

For decades, California’s highway system was planned, designed, and expanded without wildlife movement ever entering the equation—it simply wasn’t part of the conversation. Mountain lions, deer, pronghorn, bobcats, and other species have had their movements blocked or made lethal by the roads we drive every day, isolating wildlife populations and contributing to tens of thousands of wildlife-vehicle collisions annually, with a financial cost of more than $230 million per year. The most effective remedy includes well-designed crossings, paired with fencing that can cut collisions by up to 90 percent. These crossings work, but building them has long depended on ad hoc opportunity rather than a systematic plan.

SB 1250 changes that. Authored by Senator Dave Cortese, with co-authors Senators Catherine Blakespear and Henry Stern, the bill requires Caltrans, in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), to build wildlife connectivity into the earliest stages of highway planning—maintaining and updating a statewide inventory of priority connectivity needs, and incorporating crossing opportunities into road projects that are already planned.

It takes a coalition

The idea that became SB 1250 gained traction inside California Wildlife Reconnected, a statewide working group composed of organizations and agencies working on wildlife connectivity. The policy proposal was developed by a team of colleagues from The Nature Conservancy, WCN, Pew Charitable Trusts, Earth Advocacy, Fearless Advocacy, and Wildlands Network.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) stepped forward to sponsor the legislation and carry it through the Capitol in partnership with Senator Cortese. WCN’s CWP funded policy advisors in Sacramento and worked alongside TNC and the coalition throughout, weighing in as amendments were negotiated with legislators and agencies. By the time the bill reached the Governor’s desk, support extended well beyond that original working group with regional open space agencies and local officials testifying in support. “Thanks to our supporters, we are able to direct funds to various aspects of the campaign, but it’s just as much about developing and supporting the right team to work together to get something specific done,” Sharma says.

Benefits that go beyond one species

While pumas are often the public face of this issue, Sharma is quick to broaden the frame. “This is about connectivity for all species and the resilience of these ecosystems,” he says. Whether it’s mule deer, pronghorn, badgers, or newts, Sharma notes—all stand to benefit from a highway system planned with their movement in mind.

What’s next? 

SB 1250 takes effect January 1, 2027, and Caltrans’ next biennial connectivity inventory is the first chance to put it into practice, folding priority crossings into project pipelines already underway, or advancing them on their own where the need is urgent. CWP is directly involved in eight priority crossings throughout the state, with several likely to break ground within the next three years.

SB 1250 is one chapter, not the whole story. CWP is already turning the page, working with Caltrans, CDFW, and partners across the state to make sure this law becomes real crossings on real highways. The same coalition that got the bill this far isn’t packing up. It’s just getting started.

The post California Just Changed How It Plans Highways—Wildlife Will Play Key Role Moving Forward appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

In our latest Closer Look, Nathalia Fuentes and Felipe Alfonso-Cortes, co-founders of Washu, took us into the Ecuadorian Chocó forest to explain what this landscape fragmentation actually means for spider monkey families—and what it will take to reverse it.

Washu’s approach centers on working directly with local farmers to protect forest habitat, while improving their own livelihoods. Over 900 acres of Chocó forest are now under this model, with 514 acres directly protected by the families themselves. It represents incredible progress, but we also have so much farther to go.

Disconnected groups of Ecuadorian spider monkeys face real long-term risks, including limited genetic diversity, restricted access to food and mates, and heightened vulnerability to any single threat wiping out an entire isolated population. Rebuilding connectivity between these fragments may be the difference between recovery and extinction for this incredible primates.

Watch the full conversation below to hear directly from the team restoring, connecting, and protecting the last remaining strongholds of the Ecuadorean spider monkey.

The post A Closer Look at Ecuador’s Most Threatened Primate, and What it Will Take to Save Them appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

Our story starts in Kenya. It is the early 1990s, and we are in Oldonyiro—a small pastoralist community far from the bustle and horns of Nairobi. Life is quiet in Oldonyiro, where the Samburu people tend their herds of goats, sheep, and cattle. So quiet, in fact, that a young boy named Peter Lalampaa has to make his own fun. When zebras pass through his family homestead, as so many other wild animals do, Peter and his friends give them chase.

A Boy, a Painting, and a Dream of Zebras

These creatures are a good deal larger than the plains zebras that wander across other parts of Kenya, and beyond. Their manes and muzzles have an almost chocolate-brown color, and the stripes on their flanks arc down to white bellies. Peter doesn’t yet know the English name for them—Grevy’s zebras. Nor does he know that they are one of the most endangered large animals left in the world. But he knows what they look like when they run, and that they are good at it. Peter is good at it, too. One day, he sees what he is sure is a baby zebra slipping through the brush—the stripes more densely packed than they are on the adults, the unkempt mane a richer brown. Peter follows the creature only to realize that those aren’t stripes at all. They are spots, and he’s following a cheetah.

Peter will remember that moment for a long time—the way he sprinted headlong back home. The way he lay awake that night, still so frightened that he couldn’t sleep. For him, the natural world wasn’t something he had to seek out by flipping channels on a television. It was his world. And he would grow to protect it.

But this story has more than one beginning. It also starts in Sonoma, California, in 1989, as Patricia Nelson—Pat to those who knew her—and her husband Philip stepped into an eclectic farmhouse. It was the home of the late Sidney Byers, their friend and longtime client. Sidney had passed, and as co-trustees of her Charitable Trust, it was up to Pat and Philip to go through her worldly possessions and begin putting her legacy into motion. 

It was on this visit that the Nelsons found it—a painting hanging on the wall of their friend’s now-quiet home. Neither Pat nor Philip knew what it was worth, but they had a sense that it was more than just a decoration. When they had it appraised, the painting turned out to be worth more than everything else on the estate combined.

That painting and estate would go on to jumpstart hundreds of careers in wildlife conservation, all around the world. Sidney Byers had been a passionate animal lover, and over the coming years Pat and Philip would honor that commitment by growing her Charitable Trust five-fold and using it to grant out funds that helped reintroduce the Peregrine Falcon to the western United States, return the California Condor to the wild, and support the Elephant Crisis Fund. And nearly two decades later, just as Peter Lalampaa was nervously starting his first day at his first official job, Pat Nelson would use it to launch the Sidney Byers Scholarship—WCN’s first Rising Wildlife Leaders program.

Portrait of a Leader, Rising

The young boy who used to chase zebras—and, once, a cheetah—back in Oldonyiro had come a long way. Peter had left his village to get a degree in environmental science at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, and joined a small organization called Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT). And when we say small, we mean it. Peter represented 25% of the in-country staff, which included a driver, an assistant, and co-founder Belinda Low Mackey.

In so many ways, Peter was ideally suited to this work. It brought him back to his childhood stomping grounds, where he had spent years tracking herbivores to find water or good pasture for his livestock—the kind of skills that one can only get firsthand, in the wild. At GZT he was responsible for leading community engagement, a role that also put him into direct contact with WCN. Though still young as an organization, GZT was at that time already a WCN Conservation Partner. It remains so to this day.

But there were also skills that Peter was missing if he was to help GZT grow into the kind of sophisticated organization that could engage both with local pastoralists in northern Kenya, and crowds of donors and wildlife enthusiasts in the United States. And so when Belinda learned from her partners at WCN about the brand new Sidney Byers Scholarship, her thoughts went immediately to Peter. It was on the strength of her nomination that Peter became one of the first scholarship recipients, traveling abroad to earn his graduate degree at the University of Kent’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology.

In Peter’s own words, the experience was transformational. It helped him set priorities, see conservation work from a global perspective, and understand the importance of both fundraising and storytelling. This last one is worth lingering on for a moment, because anyone who has seen Peter Lalampaa on stage at WCN’s Wildlife Conservation Expo, or anywhere else for that matter, knows what an incredible conservation storyteller he has become.

Continued investment at each step of Peter Lalampaa’s career, including participating in the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program, has helped him grow into the leader that he is today. And all the while, he has helped GZT grow with him. From a team of four in 2007, the organization now has a staff of 30. And Peter, the former community engagement coordinator, now serves as GZT’s Executive Director. It’s a powerful reminder that supporting the professional development of conservationists is about more than transforming just one career. It can also build lasting institutions that protect unique habitats and save endangered species.

Flying Drones over the Amazon River

This summer, three more of those promising conservationists were scrambling across the low benches of a small motorboat in the Amazon River, trying to get a better view of a speck in the distant canopy. Their names are Carlos Andres Aya Cuero, a young but experienced research scientist from Colombia, Mario Elizardo Cerezo Calderon, a Bolivian firefighter and Indigenous rights activist, and Anamélia de Souza Jesus, a Brazilian zoologist specializing in primates. And the speck in the distance had to be a sloth—Anamélia was sure of it. But what kind?

Carlos had spent years identifying mammals across the northern Amazon, using a network of camera traps to study the broad range of species that take advantage of burrows made by giant armadillos. But those skills were hardly useful at this distance. Luckily, Mario was a drone pilot—small, commercially available drones were some of the best tools that he and other firefighters had to monitor and therefore combat dry bushfires back home—and he had brought his equipment with him. Together the friends called for the boatman to cut the engine, while Mario launched his drone and sent it flying to investigate the distant speck. A Western Amazon three-toed sloth, as it turned out.

Carlos, Mario, and Anamélia are members of RWL’s Amazonia Program, which has currently brought together 24 rising conservationists from across the Amazon basin. It is a cohort that includes people of all professional and cultural backgrounds—from Portuguese-speaking lawyers, to Indigenous Wapichan community leaders working to save endangered birds. This summer they all gathered in the Peruvian Amazon for a series of reflections and workshops, and to celebrate their graduation from the program. Not to mention for hugs, late-night songs, and more than a few farewell tears. Because this was more than just a class or professional association—these conservationists had become close friends. And given how isolating and emotionally taxing a career in wildlife conservation can be, those friendships are more than just a side benefit. They provide crucial support during hard times, and can keep conservationists in the field when they might otherwise consider leaving it.

Like Peter Lalampaa before him, Carlos describes his experience with Rising Wildlife Leaders as a turning point in his professional life. Beyond strengthening his technical capacity, it provided him with tools for leadership, strategic planning, and collaborative work—skills usually acquired only after many years of experience. In Carlos’ own (translated) words, the program “also helped me understand that conservation does not depend solely on conducting good science, but on building partnerships, inspiring others, and creating solutions alongside communities and organizations that share the same purpose. One of the program’s greatest lessons is that, while an individual can go far alone, major conservation challenges can only be tackled when we work together.”

The Future is in the Network, and the Future is Bright

It’s safe to say that the team that awarded those first Sidney Byers Scholarships two decades ago, including to a young Peter Lalampaa, did not fully realize what they were setting into motion. In the years since, Rising Wildlife Leaders has supported over 400 conservationists in more than 60 different countries around the world, all doing essential work to protect wildlife and wild habitats. Beyond academic support, it has also grown into a dynamic program that identifies and nurtures promising local conservation talent at every stage of their careers—from internships for those who are just starting out to multi-year career support for established leaders.

It has also grown into a community. Rising Wildlife Leaders doesn’t just nurture networks of rising conservationists—it helps bring those networks into existence. The Amazonia Program is only one recent example of this, and for conservationists like Carlos and Anamélia the benefit of their participation lies not only in their own professional development, but also in the rich web of connections across the Amazon basin that they will be able to rely on for the length of their careers.

It is difficult to overstate how important this support and these networks are to the future of wildlife around the world. No conservation program, no matter how technically sound, can be successful over the long term without dedicated local conservationist leaders. But these same leaders face so many obstacles to remaining in the field. Low pay, limited access to training or equipment, and isolation—to name just a few. It is the goal of the Rising Wildlife Leaders program to remove these obstacles, because keeping local leaders in the field is critical to securing the future of wildlife conservation. 

Becoming a Part of the Story

The story of Rising Wildlife Leaders has so many principal characters. From young Peter Lalampaa, chasing zebras across his family homestead, to Sidney Byers in her farmhouse. From Pat Nelson, as she stood looking at that painting and wondering what it was all about, to Carlos Andres Aya Cuero as he set his camera traps in the northern Amazon. And by supporting Rising Wildlife Leaders, you can become a part of this story, too. A co-author of this transformation.

We remain keenly aware that none of this work would be possible without the generosity of our community. And so on the 20th anniversary of Rising Wildlife Leaders, as we look back to how far we have come and where we are headed, we would like to express our gratitude once more. Thank you for the lives you have changed, all across the world. Thank you for the countless wild animals and habitats that are better off because of the support you’ve given them. And thank you for staying by our side, as we look forward to the next 20 years of Rising Wildlife Leaders.

The post Rising Wildlife Leaders: Where We’ve Come From, and Where We’re Headed appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.

September 17, 2026—Over 100 years ago, sea otters disappeared from Oregon as a result of the fur trade. Now, a group of conservation organizations has launched research with the goal of eventually bringing sea otters back to the state.

The Seattle Aquarium, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Elakha Alliance and Wildlife Conservation Network’s (WCN) Sea Otter Fund are collaborating to generate new data on how sea otters—or their absence—affects coastal ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. The researchers will explore conditions along Oregon’s coastline, where sea otters have vanished, and Washington’s coastline, where sea otters were reintroduced in 1970s and have been gradually growing in population since.

“Sea otters provide powerful benefits to their environment,” says Dr. Shawn Larson, senior conservation research manager at the Seattle Aquarium. “When otters are present, kelp forests and eelgrass meadows thrive. There is more food for other animals in the system, and the system itself is more resilient to climate change. That is what we would hope and expect to see if they are reintroduced in Oregon.”

The Aquarium, a global leader in sea otter conservation research for over 30 years, is conducting the research in partnership with Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Elakha Alliance and with funding from WCN’s Sea Otter Fund. Research will span through the end of 2028.

“This collaboration provides us an incredible opportunity to learn from two coastal environments in the Pacific Northwest—one where sea otters have been absent for generations and another where they have returned and are once again part of the marine ecosystem,” says Jane Bacchieri, Elakha Alliance Executive Director. “By comparing the conditions of these coastal habitats, we can better understand the ecological changes associated with the presence and absence of sea otters and build a stronger scientific foundation for restoration in Oregon. This work is an important step toward understanding what a future with sea otters back on the Oregon coast could look like.”

“Understanding the potential impacts of sea otters on Oregon’s nearshore ecosystem starts with having strong baseline data before any action is taken,” says Jim Burke, Director of Animal Care at Oregon Coast Aquarium. “The Oregon Coast Aquarium’s scientific dive team brings years of experience working in Oregon waters, and combining that local knowledge with ROV technology and interpretive software gives us a much more complete picture of what is happening below the surface. This is a collaborative effort that brings together different institutions, technologies, and areas of expertise so that future decisions are based on the best information available. We see this as much more than a three-year project. Our hope is to continue this work into the next decade and beyond, so that if sea otters are reintroduced to Oregon, we can document and better understand changes before, during, and long after their return.”

“Right now, we need an underwater baseline to track the impacts of sea otters as they come home,” says Dr. Jen Miller, Director of the Sea Otter Fund. “After reintroduction, we expect to see sea otters rebuild the ecological resilience of our coasts. But we won’t see the change unless we start the science now.”

How the project will unfold

What would happen if sea otters returned to the Oregon coast? To answer this question, the researchers will spend the next three years gathering data on both non-inhabited coastal Oregon environments and coastal Washington environments where sea otters are present today. They’ll compare the two locations to understand how the presence of otters affects the populations of other marine species and the overall condition of the seafloor.

Working in both states, teams will use scuba divers and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). They will measure the abundance of sea otter prey, including urchins, crabs and abalone, and will capture thousands of images of rocky reef and soft-sediment habitats in both locations.

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Photos and videos for media use

• Seattle Aquarium ROV team video and photos; wild sea otter photos (Credit: Seattle Aquarium)
• Oregon Coast Aquarium dive team video (Credit: Oregon Coast Aquarium)
• Wild sea otter photos (Credit: Gretchen Kay Stuart via Elakha Alliance)
• Wild sea otter photos (Credit: Courtney Edwards via Elakha Alliance)

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Through the partnership, a team from the Seattle Aquarium, which has operated a successful ROV program since 2022, will train and advise a team at Oregon Coast Aquarium, as it develops its first-ever ROV program to support the work. That training is already underway.

“Because the marine environments in Washington and Oregon are similar, comparing the two locations gives us valuable information on the potential benefits of restoring sea otters to Oregon,” says Dr. Zachary Randell, senior research scientist at the Seattle Aquarium and leader of the Aquarium’s ROV program. “What’s exciting is that this kind of project has never been done before with ROVs.”

This regional approach to monitoring the marine environment doesn’t just enable comparisons. It will also help establish critical baseline data in Oregon ahead of a potential sea otter reintroduction down the road. And the data will help researchers distinguish sea otter-driven changes from changes connected to other environmental factors.

The team plans to share findings widely with government, Tribal and other conservation partners in Washington, Oregon and the broader Pacific Coast region.

“We are eager to build new partnerships and share our learnings to support coastal communities throughout the region in meeting today’s ecological and conservation challenges,” Dr. Randell says.  

Vision for the future

While a potential sea otter reintroduction would be years away, this research will provide a critical foundation for it. It will also contribute credible, detailed information that will allow for informed and collaborative discussions around reintroduction.

The partners leading this work also envision that ROV monitoring of coastal conditions will continue beyond the project’s three-year timeline, ultimately documenting ecological changes before, during and after a sea otter reintroduction.

“The near extinction of sea otters after the fur trade was devastating, and not just because they are a beloved Pacific Northwest species,” Dr. Shawn Larson says. “Their absence impacts other marine animals, plants and the coastal communities that rely on vibrant and diverse ecosystems. Measuring those impacts is a critically important step in turning the tide.”

“This research is a timely investment that will catalyze our ability to marvel at sea otter impacts in the years to come,” says Dr. Jen Miller.

About the Seattle Aquarium
Founded in 1977 along the Seattle waterfront, the Seattle Aquarium is a nonprofit marine conservation organization working to regenerate the health of Earth’s one ocean. We work among local, national, and global leaders to advance animal wellbeing, marine and ecosystem science, public policy, field conservation, education, and species recovery programs that benefit the ocean. Help support the Aquarium’s mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment.

On the web: SeattleAquarium.org
On Facebook: facebook.com/Aquarium.Seattle
On Instagram: instagram.com/seattleaquarium
On YouTube: youtube.com/seattleaquarium

About the Oregon Coast Aquarium

Since opening in 1992, the Oregon Coast Aquarium has been a premier attraction on Oregon’s central coast and an enduring advocate for the health of our ocean. For over three decades, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has supported marine wildlife and fostered environmental stewardship through its education programs, community partnerships and rehabilitation efforts. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the Oregon Coast Aquarium is consistently ranked among the top 10 aquariums in the U.S., connecting visitors with 15,000 animals spanning 300 species. The Aquarium is located at 2820 S.E. Ferry Slip Rd., Newport, OR. aquarium.org, 541-867-3474. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates.

About the Elakha Alliance

The Elakha Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 with a mission to make Oregon’s marine and coastal ecosystems and local communities more robust and resilient by restoring a healthy population of sea otters to the Oregon coast. Founded by the late David Hatch, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Elakha Alliance works at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge, science, conservation, and community engagement to advance sea otter restoration in Oregon. The organization collaborates with Tribal, state, federal, academic, conservation, and community partners to support research, education, outreach, and planning for the return of sea otters. As a keystone species, sea otters play an important role in maintaining healthy kelp forests and coastal ecosystems by controlling sea urchin populations, which helps support habitat for a wide range of marine life. The Elakha Alliance is committed to building understanding and support for sea otter restoration while highlighting the ecological, cultural, and economic connections between healthy coastal ecosystems and resilient Oregon communities. To learn more, visit OregonSeaOtters.org, or follow on Instagram or Facebook for updates.

About Wildlife Conservation Network’s Sea Otter Fund
The Sea Otter Fund works to restore sea otters along their historical U.S. Pacific Coast range by supporting the conservation groups, scientists, Tribes, government agencies, and coastal communities advancing recovery efforts. The Sea Otter Fund is an initiative of the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), which brings together conservationists and supporters to advance solutions for wildlife and people to coexist and thrive. WCN operates in 69 countries to protect more than 210 species, supporting frontline conservationists through its grantmaking funds and partner network, sending 100% of every designated donation directly to the field for maximum conservation impact. Learn more at wildnet.org/wildlife-fund/sea-otter-fund.

Media Contacts

Liz Thomas, pressroom@seattleaquarium.org
Jeremy Burke, Jeremy.Burke@aquarium.org
Chanel Hason, chanel@elakhaalliance.org
Abby Sun, asun@wildnet.org

The post New Partnership Paves the Way for Reintroducing Sea Otters to Oregon appeared first on Wildlife Conservation Network.