The Amazon basin is critical to our planet’s health and is home to 10% of the world’s biodiversity. To invest in the future of this unparalleled landscape, WCN’s Amazonia Program is supporting a new generation of highly skilled conservation leaders working to protect the Amazon and its incredible wildlife.
This two-year training program builds local conservationists’ leadership skills and fosters collaboration amongst conservationists in the region. Tailored to their individual needs and goals, emerging leaders in the program will gain the skills, resources, networking opportunities, and confidence to fuel their long-term conservation careers.
Core Components
- Three in-person workshops fostering peer learning, leadership training (e.g. fundraising, strategic planning), and network-building
- Individualized support including mentorship, up to $5,000 for custom education/convenings, plus up to $1,000 in mini‑grants post-program for applied learning opportunities
- Ongoing mentoring & peer network – paired with senior conservation professionals, quarterly check-ins, and facilitated connections with conservation peers regionally and globally
Why it Matters
- Strengthens local leadership by equipping participants with strategic, financial, and technical skills
- Extends regional collaboration across Amazon countries
- Promotes innovative on-the-ground solutions
- Supports the emergence of strong, locally rooted leaders equipped to guide long-term conservation efforts across the Amazon basin
Learn more about the program and application requirements here.
Management & Governance
Advisory Committee
- Avecita Chicchón, Program Director of the Andes-Amazon Initiative, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Jean-Gael Collomb, CEO, Wildlife Conservation Network
- Jonathan Dain, Senior Lecturer University of Florida
- Suzana Padua, President, Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas
- John Robinson, Advisor of the Fonseca Leadership Program, Global Environmental Facility
Content Development Committee
- Carolina Jordão, Associate Research Scientist, Coletivo Passiflora Socioambiental/Arizona State University
- Jonathan Dain, Senior Lecturer, University of Florida
- Laura Gruber, Senior Programs Manager, Wildlife Conservation Network
- Suzana Padua, President, Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas
Program Manager
- Nina Attias, Program Manager – Latin America, Wildlife Conservation Network
Mentors & Collaborators
Mentors
- Adriana Ramos, Executive Secretary, Instituto Socioambiental
- Andrew Snyder, Key Biodiversity Areas Coordinator, Re:Wild
- Anna Carolina Lobo,Conservation Manager, WWF Brasil
- Carmen Chavez, Founder, Red de Aprendizaje y Conservación
- Claudio Padua, Founder and Program Coordinator, Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas
- Corine Vriesendorp, Director of Science, ACCA-Conservación Amazónica
- Fernanda Abra, Founder, ViaFAUNA and Reconecta
- João Meirelles, CEO, Instituto Peabiru
- João Vitor Campos-Silva, President, Instituto Juruá
- Julia Yansura, Program Director, FACT Coalition
- Lilian Painter, Director, WCS Bolivia
- Lisa Famolare, Vice President Amazonia, Conservation International
- Mariana Varese, Director Amazon Landscapes, WCS Peru
- Marlene Soriano, Program Director, Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Florestal
- Meg Symington, Vice President Global Integrated Program, WWF
- Monika Roper, Independent
- Paulina Arroyo, Director Global Portfolio, Enduring Earth
- Rita Mesquita, National Secretary of Biodiversity, Environmental Ministry of Brazil
- Rosamira Guillen, Executive Director, Proyecto Titi
- Tita Alvira, Senior Network Weaver, Legado
- Valmir Ortega, Founder, Belterra Agroflorestas
Collaborators
- Andrea Garzón, General Manager, Huella Verde Ecuador
- Bruno Cheuíche, Speaker Coach, TEDx Amazonia
- Carolina Fernandes, Founder, Banksia Films
- Fabiana Prado, Manager of the LIRA Fund, Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas
- Gabby Salazar, Board of Directors, Conservation Nation
- Liliana Sarmiento, Founder, BioSphere Solutions
- Marcos Amend, Executive Director, WCS Brasil
- Marcos Ortiz, Senior Lecturer, Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas
Meet the Cohorts
Introducing the Amazonia Program participants—rising leaders committed to the future of the Amazon.
Quote“Meeting people who work in diverse conservation initiatives, with multiple studies and experiences, is truly enriching and has been the best part of the program. It also allows us to see that conservation problems have similar characteristics in different places.”
Candy Alicia Vilela Amazonia Program
Stand with the Amazon
Your donation to the Amazonia program helps local leaders become the best version of themselves, promoting long-term and effective conservation solutions for wildlife, forests, and communities in the Amazon Basin.
Amazonia Program
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