Events

Bonobos, Matriarchs & Community Conservation: Facing Challenges in Congo

Wednesday, March 12

Fanny Minesi grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo where she now directs Friends of Bonobos of Congo (ABC), a 30-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the endangered bonobo and their rainforest home. She manages over 100 staff members between Lola ya Bonobo, the world’s only bonobo sanctuary and environmental education center, and Ekolo ya Bonobo, a 120,000-acre community reserve in the heart of the rainforest. A passionate leader of community-based conservation, Ms. Minesi will share triumphs and heartbreaks in her work with bonobos and with local communities to manage the reserve in this vital and vulnerable landscape. Ms. Minesi received the 2023 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa.

Lions In Our Midst: Moving from Conflict to Coexistence

Wednesday, March 19

Moreangels, a conservation biologist, works at the critical intersection of conservation and community development. As the Founder and Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation Action, she is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of local communities to protect and coexist with wildlife in a changing climate, while enhancing their livelihoods. With extensive knowledge and experience in community-based conservation, Moreangels focuses on innovative, community driven and local-led strategies to promote human-wildlife coexistence, climate resilience, and socio-economic development in areas adjacent to wildlife habitats. A recognized thought leader, she is a TED Fellow and Speaker who delivered a compelling TED talk titled “How Community-Led Conservation Can Save Wildlife.” Her work on lions in 2018 was featured in a National Geographic short film “One Woman’s Remarkable Journey to Protect Lions.” Moreangels is also a Mandela Washington Fellow and is passionate about inspiring and mentoring Africa’s next generation of conservation leaders.

Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program: Past, Present, and Future

Wednesday, April 2

Luis Paulo is a Brazilian Geographer, with more than 30 years of experience working on biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, forests, and environmental issues—largely in South America and Africa—in countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Guinea Bissau, and South Africa. He has worked for public and non-governmental institutions such as government of São Paulo, WWF-Brazil, and IUCN, among others. Since 2011, he has been the Executive Director of the Golden Lion Tamarin Association, leading their conservation efforts and an interdisciplinary team to save the species from the risk of extinction.

Thinking Like A Wolf: Lessons From the Yellowstone Packs

Wednesday, April 30

Rick McIntyre is a world-renowned wolf behaviorist who has accumulated over 100,000 sightings of wolves in the wild—more than any other researcher on the planet. McIntyre was Yellowstone’s first-ever wolf interpreter responsible for educating the public about the wolves after they were successfully reintroduced to the park beginning in the 1990s. Now retired from the  National Parks Service, McIntyre’s award-winning series of books about the Yellowstone wolves is currently being adapted into a feature film. He has been profiled extensively in the media including by This American Life, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He lives in Silver Gate, Montana, where he wakes early to watch the wolves every day, rain or shine.