AWF

In Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, silverback Muturengere watches over the Isimbi youngsters as they play and their mothers forage. Protecting their forest gives mountain gorilla families like Isimbi room to grow together. awf.org/news/gorilla-day-cel…

Applications are now open for the second cohort of the AWF Geospatial Leaders Fellowship! Are you a young African GIS professional ready to turn geospatial data into practical solutions for conservation and sustainable development? AWF is seeking six professionals for this fully funded, 10-month fellowship, running from March–December 2027. Gain practical GIS training, expert mentorship, leadership skills and support to develop conservation tools for your organization, while connecting with a Pan-African network of practitioners. Applicants must be African citizens under 35, hold a relevant degree, have at least two years’ experience in GIS or the environmental sector, and work in an eligible institution with clear GIS needs. Eligible countries: Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, DR Congo, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Senegal, Tunisia and Kenya. Deadline: 14 December 2026, 11:59 p.m. EAT (GMT+3). Review the full requirements and submit your application: li.awf.org/gis27 Share this opportunity with your network. #AWF #GIS #GeospatialLeaders #AfricanLedConservation

The @AWF_Official and Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners, LLC @es_partners today signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to connect community enterprise with conservation across two African landscapes. In Rwanda’s Volcanoes landscape, the partnership will work alongside the Rwanda Development Board (@RDBrwanda ) to support more than 500 households affected by the restoration of Volcanoes National Park, with the ambition to reach more than 3,500 over time. In Uganda’s Kidepo Valley, ESP will build on AWF’s community work, including support for over 2,000 cotton farmers adopting regenerative practices and planned support for shea production reaching a further 4,000 people. AWF’s conservation expertise and long-standing relationships with communities, governments and the private sector will combine with ESP’s experience in enterprise development, market access and financing. Together, the partners aim to strengthen local enterprises and value chains, increase household incomes and create sustainable jobs; supporting thriving wildlife, secure habitats and a better quality of life for people. Read the full press release:lnkd.in/djhFDWeb

How can stronger decisions and investment support wildlife economies across Africa? Tomorrow, Join @AWF_Official, the @aluconservation and Conservation Strategy fund for the launch of the Wildlife Economies Decision and Investment Support Toolkit. 3 November | 15:00 CAT Register through this link : alueducation.zoom.us/meeting… @emtambara, @SueSnyman

From conversations to action for people and nature. As AWF wraps up #CBDCOP17, @emtambara reflects on the partnerships, African voices and shared ambition shaping conservation across the continent. Watch his reflections and join us in taking this work forward.

Conservation partnerships must strengthen African leadership, accountability and outcomes for people and nature. Join @AWF_Official at #COP17 today in Yerevan, Armenia to discuss collaborative management in Africa. 🕒 15:00–16:00 📍 Nature Positive Pavilion, Main Room, Yerevan

Education equips people to turn biodiversity commitments into action. Join @AWF_Official’s Charly Facheux at #COP17Armenia Education Day to explore how learning can advance biodiversity targets. 27 Oct | 14:00–18:30 KM-GBF Room, Blue Zone

Community leadership is vital to lasting conservation. Are you At #COP17? Join @AWF_Official and the African Regional Directors Platform to explore African approaches to community-led conservation. 27 Oct | 12:00–13:00 GMT+4 FPWC Blue Zone Pavilion, Yerevan @emtambara, @DHalleson, @ElikanaManumbu, @juliemulonga

As the countdown to #COP17 begins, 50 young leaders gathered in Kigali for Rwanda’s Pre-COP17 National Youth Consultation. They explored how youth leadership and community action can advance biodiversity conservation. Their message is clear: young people must help shape decisions affecting Africa’s wildlife, wild lands and communities. Participants developed a Rwanda Youth Position Document to share with the Ministry of Environment ahead of #COP17.

A new $49m Smart Green Village in Musanze will provide families with improved housing, infrastructure and basic services, alongside support to build sustainable livelihoods. The first phase is expected to accommodate 547 households. @nsapatric, @AWF_Official Country Coordinator in Rwanda, says residents will be connected to business support, skills training, financing and markets before relocating. AWF is partnering with the @RwandaGov on the broader programme, drawing on more than 40 years of work in the country. Read more from the article in @NewTimesRwanda: newtimes.co.rw/article/39446…

An elephant does not know where a national park ends. It follows the rain, the grazing and the routes its herd has used for generations. In the October issue of @KenyaAirways' Msafiri Magazine, @Nancy_Githaiga, @AWF_Official's Country Director - Kenya, sat with @pauludoto to looks at what happens when roads, farms and settlements cut across those routes—and what it takes to keep landscapes connected. The answer starts with seeing the land through the eyes of the people who live there. A corridor is not empty space; it may be someone’s home, grazing ground and inheritance. Conservation works when communities can see how wildlife and healthy ecosystems matter to their own lives, and when they help shape the solutions. From the Amboseli–Tsavo–Kilimanjaro corridor to landscapes across Africa, the challenge is to make room for development while keeping the natural connections that sustain wildlife and people. To read Nancy’s feature and more, grab yourself a copy of the October Msafiri issue here - msafirimag.com/#latest-issue

In Rwanda, lasting conservation depends on who gets to shape its future. Young people living around Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park bring first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing their communities, from deforestation and soil erosion to limited livelihood opportunities. Their leadership is essential to developing solutions that make sense locally and can endure over time. Through the @EU_Commission - funded project Empowering Youth for Climate-Resilient Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Volcanoes Region of Rwanda, AWF has signed sub-grant agreements with five youth-led organizations. Each will receive approximately RWF 12.4 million to advance its work across the 12 sectors bordering the park: @gybn_rwanda, @RwYouthAction, @SaveEnvironme14, @TheProtectorRw, and @ryaf_agribiz. The investment recognizes the value of locally led ideas and gives these organizations greater scope to put them into practice. @AWF_Official will provide training and mentorship, while the organizations lead their own initiatives and set their direction. Conservation is stronger when young people are equipped to shape it. We look forward to seeing how these five organizations contribute to resilient livelihoods and a thriving Volcanoes region.

Today, @AWF_Official handed over 250 Roman candles to the @ugwildlife Authority to strengthen human-elephant conflict mitigation efforts in the Kidepo Valley Conservation Landscape. The Roman candles, provided with support from the Canning Foundation, will enhance UWA’s response to elephant movements into community areas in Karenga District, helping reduce crop damage and risks to communities while mitigating the potential for retaliatory responses against wildlife. This handover reinforces ongoing collaboration between AWF and UWA to support practical, non-lethal approaches to human-wildlife conflict and promote coexistence between people and wildlife.  Each Roman candle carries eight shots, bringing the total to 2,000 shots that UWA can utilize, particularly at night, to respond quickly when elephants move into community areas, helping protect people, livelihoods and wildlife.