News and Stories

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden partners with organizations around the world that engage in conservation projects benefitting both the wildlife in their communities and the people who live alongside them. In recent years, we’ve looked for ways to deepen these partnerships and began investing not only in the organizations, but in community members themselves. 

In 2023, the Cincinnati Zoo launched a program dedicated to supporting conservation leaders while also uplifting our global partners’ conservation efforts. Through the Coexistence Impact Fellowship Program, the Zoo provides resources, salaries, and professional development opportunities that empower conservationists embedded in their own communities to engage in projects and research that help both people and wildlife to thrive.  

Fellows are granted two-year residencies with flexible hours that can be accomplished remotely, with regular Zoom calls to share updates with the Conservation Impact Team and receive mentorship. Each Fellow commits to designing, implementing, and evaluating a coexistence impact project based on both their interests and the needs of their local communities. The Zoo hosts the Fellows for one week in-person each year, allowing them to connect with one another, introduce their projects or share updates with Zoo staff, and engage in more in-depth professional development opportunities.  

The Coexistence Impact Fellowship program is already expanding, increasing from four Fellows in 2023 to seven in 2024. Countries represented by our Fellows include Kenya, the Bahamas, Thailand, Brazil, and the Republic of Congo—as well as the state of Kentucky, since native species and local leadership are equally as important to the Cincinnati Zoo’s conservation mission! As the program grows over the coming years, the Cincinnati Zoo will be able to expand our global reach and deepen our partnerships in order to achieve greater impact for people and wildlife alike.