WWF welcomes the 2017 class of conservation leaders

Meet the recipients of the Russell E. Train Fellowship

Gabriela Barragán Altamirano in the field

WWF would like to congratulate the recipients of the 2017 Russell E. Train Fellowship. Funded by the Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program (EFN), Train Fellows pursue their graduate degrees in conservation-related fields anywhere in the world and then return to their home countries better equipped to take on global conservation challenges.

This year’s recipients include 24 outstanding conservationists from 11 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Their collective research will help build capacity for climate adaptation, increase the number of individuals working on sustainable food systems, and protect crucial ecosystems throughout Mozambique and Myanmar. Each applicant was selected through a competitive, merit-based process from a pool of more than 150 applicants. 

Train Fellowships are named after the late Russell E. Train, founder and chairman emeritus of WWF-US, who was profoundly committed to building local conservation leadership and institutions throughout the world. To date, EFN has provided nearly $20 million in financial support to build capacity of more than 1,900 individuals and funded 615 organizations to conduct training workshops, collectively reaching more than 55,000 community members, indigenous people, park guards, fishers, and others. Until conservationists everywhere have a variety of opportunities to build the skills and knowledge they need in their home countries, EFN remains dedicated to building conservation capacity worldwide to protect Earth’s most spectacular natural environments for generations to come.

Meet the 2017 Train Fellows

  • Jamen Mussa Ali (Mozambique): Master’s in Aquatic Tropical Ecology, University of Bremen, Germany
  • Gabriela Barragan Altamirano (Ecuador): PhD in Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Nanda Aung (Myanmar): Master’s in Urban Environmental Management, Wageningen University, Netherlands
  • Kyi Phyu Aung (Myanmar): Master’s in Agriculture and Forestry, University of British Colombia, Canada /University of Eastern Finland, Finland
  • Thu Zar Aung (Myanmar): Master’s in Environmental Engineering, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany
  • Win Maung Aye (Myanmar): PhD in Tropical Forest Ecology and Management, Kyoto University, Japan
  • Robert Bagyenda (Uganda): PhD in Wetlands Resource Management and Climate Change, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda
  • Aung Nyein Chan (Myanmar): Master’s in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, USA
  • Gildo Amancio Chivale (Mozambique): Master’s in Forestry, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
  • Prince Enganga Ekoto (DRC): Master’s in Innovations and Policies for Sustainable Food, Montpellier SupAgro, France
  • Julia Maria Gorricho Escobar (Colombia): PhD in Environmental Governance, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Germany
  • Providence Omona Fale (DRC): Master’s in Environmental Management, Ecole Regional Post-Universitaire, DRC
  • Juliana Velez Gomez (Colombia): PhD in Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, USA
  • Hernawati (Indonesia): PhD in Conservation Biology, Institute Pertanian Bogor, Indonesia
  • Herbert Kasozi (Uganda): PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Management and Biometry and Ecological Modeling, Michigan State University, USA
  • Myatthu Kyaw (Myanmar): Master’s in Environmental Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailan
  • Luc Mumbere Lango (DRC): Master’s in GIS for Spatial Planning, AgroParis Tech, France
  • Michael Lukubwe (Namibia): PhD in Wildlife Ecology, Oregon State University, USA
  • Halaze de Pedro Celestino Manhice (Mozambique): PhD in Climate Change and Sustainable Development, University of Lisbon, Portugal
  • Handsen Mseteka (Zambia): Master’s in Agrarian, Food, and Environmental Studies at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • Faith Milkah Wakonyo Muniale (Kenya): PhD in Environmental Science, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya
  • Adriana Gonzalez Pestana (Peru): Master’s in Marine Science, James Cook University, Australia
  • Claudia Angelica Veliz Rosas (Peru): PhD in Sciences, University of Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France
  • Alvaro Albino Vetina (Mozambique): Master’s in Coastal Ecosystems, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique