NCF Courses in Conservation Leadership 2024

Human lives are intrinsically connected to nature and therefore, adopting an inter-disciplinary approach is indispensable to understand how best to reconcile biodiversity conservation with human welfare. Such an approach transcends ecological sciences and is informed by socio-political realities and is a nuanced undertaking, requiring not just robust science, but  stakeholder engagement, negotiation, diplomacy, and collaborative spirit.

Conservation practitioners come from varied backgrounds and work in diverse fields. While their motivation comes from a deep passion and commitment, learning is often through trial and error. This is largely due to a lack of adequate formal training in inter-disciplinary conservation research and  practice, which is essential  to create a strong cadre of well-trained and motivated conservation leaders and practitioners. Recognizing this lacuna, NCF initiated courses in Conservation Leadership in 2019 that are meant for conservation practitioners and span essential conservation skills including project planning, fund raising, monitoring and evaluation of programmes, effective stakeholder engagement, and effective communication.

These courses aim to provide just that to practitioners who may be asking themselves:

• How do I raise funds for conservation and research?

• What are the steps for good conservation planning?

• How can I monitor and evaluate conservation projects?

• How do I communicate my conservation work?

  The courses aim to assist conservation practitioners in finding the best solutions to help them in their work.

**No applications are open!

Courses coming up next year:

1. Fundraising for research and conservation

2. Project Planning and Management

3. Monitoring and Evaluation of conservation programs

4. Writing about Conservation

5. Human-Wildlife Interactions: Dealing with stakeholders and species of concern for proactive management of conflicts

6. Working with Local Communities

7. Conservation Entrepreneurship

8. Introduction to Conservation in Practice (in Malayalam)

9. Exploring Social and Historical Dimensions of Conservation

10. Ecological Restoration: Principles, Practice and Monitoring

11. Communicating ecological and conservation science through the lens 

12. Conservation Social Science

We provide travel and accommodation support to participants who require them.

The courses are free. However, selected candidates will be charged Rs. 500 towards course material. One has to pay it only once if they are attending more than one course in that year.

Currently we are unable to accommodate international applicants. Whereas, non-Indian citizens residing in India with valid visa and permits are encouraged to apply.