Russell E. Train Education for Nature

Building conservation leaders

Today’s conservation challenges are more complex than ever before and require advanced skills and knowledge to tackle. Through EFN, WWF is building the next generation of conservation leaders who are committed to addressing these challenges and protecting the world’s most biologically diverse places. With funding from WWF, conservationists can pursue graduate studies, attend short-term training courses, and build institutional capacity to train local communities.

To date, the program has supported 3,700 individuals and 600 institutions across 60 countries. These individuals and organizations play a key role in not only protecting species and habitats but also leading research, communicating science, changing policy, and mentoring the next generation of conservationists in their countries.

Advancing reforestation and restoration efforts globally

To address the complex demands that forests face, WWF supports locally based organizations in some of the world’s most biodiverse forests to conduct reforestation and restoration activities. Relying primarily on native tree species, funded projects have planted over 2 million trees on more than 1,000 hectares of degraded tropical forests and wetlands and trained 17,000+ community members. Additionally, in partnership with leading training providers, WWF also brings together current and past grant recipients to participate in a five-day practitioner workshop to build skills, share best practices, and strengthen the restoration alumni network. 

Strengthening alumni connections

EFN alumni are tackling critical environmental challenges while also making the conservation community more diverse and impactful than ever before. WWF is committed to ensuring alumni continue to advance in their careers and become a voice for conservation by providing ongoing support for education, training, and research opportunities.

EFN also works to establish a professional network for alumni through our LinkedIn and Facebook pages. These platforms provide program news and information about upcoming grant opportunities, conferences, and training courses for conservationists worldwide. These groups are open to all alumni to connect with others in their field, country, or region. We encourage alumni to join and stay connected.