The Tony Whitten Conservation Award

Tony Whitten (1953–2017) was an inspirational conservationist who championed biodiversity across Asia and beyond, working as Senior Biodiversity Specialist at the World Bank and as Director of Fauna and Flora International's Asia-Pacific programme. Tony did world-class work on the discovery and conservation of limestone cave invertebrates: saving many species from obliteration by the cement industry, establishing the IUCN Cave Invertebrate Specialist Group, and having at least 33 new species named in his honour. As a tribute to him, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative is delighted to invite applications for the third and final round of this award scheme recognizing outstanding early career conservationists and researchers from East and South-east Asia.

The Award is open to those under the age of 35 working in conservation or field biology within this region. The selection panel is particularly interested in work on the overlooked species and habitats that Tony was most passionate about—such as caves and karst ecosystems, and little-studied invertebrates and fishes—but all applications are welcome. The fund is able to provide five awards of GBP 2,000 each, to support the ongoing work of successful applicants. Applicants should be nationals of Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste or Viet Nam. For information about previous winners see Oryx 54, 9, and 55, 169.

Application forms are available at cambridgeconservation.org/tony-whitten-conservation-award. The deadline is midnight (GMT) on 1 November 2021. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of 2021.

Call for applications for the 2022 Conservation Leadership Programme Team Awards

The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a partnership between BirdLife International, Fauna & Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Each year, CLP grants awards to teams of early career conservationists leading projects to save threatened species. Award-winning teams benefit from a project grant, and opportunities to develop their professional skills and build connections through the CLP Alumni Network. Awards are granted to teams undertaking projects that involve research, practical actions and community outreach to promote pro-conservation attitudes and achieve effective, long-lasting conservation. Eligible applicants can apply for Future Conservationist Awards (up to USD 15,000), Conservation Follow-Up Awards (up to USD 25,000; available only to previous recipients of a Future Conservationist Award) and the Conservation Leadership Award (up to USD 50,000; available only to previous recipients of a Follow-Up Award).

This year, we accept applications from teams in low- to middle-income countries that target species listed as Data Deficient, Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Countries designated as high income economies by the World Bank are not eligible, except some countries and island nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Projects must take place in an eligible country, be led or co-led by a national of one of these countries, and involve at least three team members.

For more information, visit conservationleadershipprogramme.org/grants. Applicants for a Conservation Follow-Up or Conservation Leadership Award must submit the final report from their previous project and a logical framework by 8 September 2021. Feedback will be provided by 27 September 2021. The deadline for all applications is midnight (GMT) on 10 October 2021. Winners will be announced in April 2022. For any questions, contact clp@birdlife.org.

This call for applications has been made possible thanks to support from Arcadia—a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.

Cambridge Masters in Conservation Leadership

The Masters degree in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge is a full-time, 11-month course for graduates with leadership potential and at least 3 years of relevant experience. Based in the Department of Geography, the course is delivered by members of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, a partnership between six university departments and nine conservation organizations or networks based in and around Cambridge.

Applications open in September 2021 for entry to the course in October 2022. For application details, visit cl.geog.cam.ac.uk. The closing date for applications will be early December 2021. There is no application fee for students from the least developed and other low income countries. For information on eligibility for a fee waiver, see graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/how-do-i-apply/application-fee.

We are able to offer a limited number of scholarships to students attending the Masters, covering full fees and living expenses. Applicants for scholarships should have outstanding conservation leadership potential but be unable to fund their studies from other sources. For queries, contact Lisa Harris (admin.conservationleadership@geog.cam.ac.uk).