New Zimbabwe Wildlife Leadership Program Will Focus on Rhino Conservation

The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) and the Wildlife Conservation Network are partnering to launch a new wildlife leadership program focusing entirely on rhino conservation practitioners. The program will begin in May.

This transformative program—Rising Wildlife Leaders: Careers—will equip local conservationists in the countries where rhinos live with the skills, mentorship, and career support they need to make a lasting impact. Over the next three years, selected participants will receive individualized training, peer learning opportunities, and professional guidance to bolster their leadership in rhino conservation.

“All five rhino species are at risk and need all the help they can get,” said Nina Fascione, IRF executive director. “This new program will strengthen the corps of conservationists working to protect these incredible animals. Together with the Wildlife Conservation Network, we’re making sure rhinos have a fighting chance.”

“We are at a critical juncture for rhinos, with fewer than 28,000 across Africa and Asia,” said Markus Hofmeyr, director of WCN’s Rhino Recovery Fund. “Securing their future means equipping conservationists with the experience and on-the-ground expertise needed to lead the way. Having an entirely rhino-focused Rising Wildlife Leaders: Careers cohort this year gives me tremendous hope. Through this collaboration with the International Rhino Foundation, we’re working to ensure that conservation efforts receive the resources and support needed to secure the species’ survival.”

The rhino cohort of Rising Wildlife Leaders includes six extraordinary individuals from Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Each works on the frontline to safeguard the Javan, black, white, and Sumatran rhinos. This cohort includes:

• Dedi Riyanto, Indonesia. Riyanto is the area manager for Yayasan Badak Indonesia (YABI) at Ujung Kulon National Park where he works to protect Javan rhinos.

• Deoclearancia Lorna Dax, Namibia. Dax is a program and partnership development assistant for Save the Rhino Trust, working to conserve the desert-adapted black rhino.

• Diana Marewangepo, Zimbabwe. Marewangepo protects both black and white rhinos through her position as a senior terrestrial ecologist for the Harare region with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

• Donald Misheck, Zimbabwe. Misheck is the rhino coordinator for Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, helping to conserve black rhinos.

• Ilham Ananda, Indonesia. Ananda is the Sumatran rhino rescue manager with the Leuser Conservation Forum Foundation.

• Kenneth Ayiego, Kenya. Ayiego is a rhino program manager with the World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya, where he works to conserve Kenya’s black rhino population.

The Rising Wildlife Leaders: Careers program will reduce barriers to employment, foster career growth and ensure conservation leadership remains rooted locally in the regions where it is needed most. By investing in the next generation of rhino conservation leaders, the program will sharpen local expertise, enhance decision-making and secure a sustainable future where rhinos thrive in the wild and holistic conservation approaches are taken.

There are only five rhinoceros species remaining in the wild today: Javan, Sumatran, greater one-horned, black and white rhinos. Their numbers have dwindled significantly in the past few decades to just under 28,000. Some species, like the Sumatran and Javan rhinos, have only a few dozen remaining. IRF and WCN are working to turn this around and give rhinos a future—investing in locally-based rhino conservationists is a key part of creating that future.