Conservation and Wildlife Education

Fostering appreciation and concern for wildlife at a young age helps create future generations of wildlife guardians. Educational outreach in countries with high supply and demand for wildlife products is one avenue Global Conservation Force takes to tackle poaching and trafficking issues.

Wild Warriors

Wildhand
Vietnam
2019 – Present

Global Conservation Force is tackling wildlife demand, the illegal pet trade, and much more with our partner Wildhand, a youth organization based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Wildhand is affiliated with the veterinary Medicine Faculty of Vietnam National University of Agriculture and is dedicated to creating a world where humans and animals cohabitate in harmony. Wildhand is advised by Dr. Ba Tiep Nguyen and is comprised of 22 volunteers and 20 partners who are working on wildlife protection and animal welfare improvement.

The free, 3-month-long, education programs have been offered to students since 2017.  The Wild Warriors program teaches students about Vietnam’s wildlife and ecosystems through games, photo exhibitions,  presentations, and hands-on experiences. After successful workshops in several elementary schools during their few years, the Wild Warriors program expanded to include middle and high school students. In 2022, the program impacted 5,000-13,000 students at 10 schools.

This program was co-designed with Global Conservation Force and Wildhand and is fully funded by Global Conservation Force.

 

Photo taken from the back of a classroom facing a teacher in front by a projected presentation. Students are sitting on the floor attentive and listening.

An elementary school class in Hanoi, Vietnam learning about their native wildlife.  Wildlife conservation curriculum was provided by a partnership between Global Conservation Force and Wildhand.

Community Conservation Education Programs

a ranger talks to a classroom of children

Wildlife Education and Field Trips

Nourish
Kruger National Park, South Africa

2014 – Present

With our partners at Nourish, Global Conservation Force has been supporting community-based conservation and education efforts in the communities adjacent to the Kruger National Park.  Since 2014, we have been running and funding programs that positively impact hundreds of community children.  Conservation education programs include:

  • classroom visits and presentations
  • field trips to the local nature reserves, reptile rescue, and wildlife rehabilitation center
  • building an aquaponics garden setup
  • sending children on game drives
Several wire wildlife snares that have been removed from endangered species habitat hang on a pole

Snare Workshop

Cape Leopard Trust
Cape Town, South Africa

2022

Global Conservation Force taught a free snare workshop, hosted by our partner Cape Leopard Trust. The training brought together landowners, communities, researchers, and wildlife rehabilitation experts around Cape Town, South Africa to better protect the area wildlife from snares, a common poaching tool. Global Conservation Force CEO/President, Mike Veale, used theory and practical aspects to teach participants about snare poaching, first aid, and injured wildlife response and relocation. 

Ground Hornbill Conservation Comic Books

Mabula Ground Hornbill Project
South Africa
2020

Global Conservation Force partnered with the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project to purchase and distribute 1,400 of their ground hornbill conservation comic books.  The comic books were distributed to children living in rural South African communities near critical habitat areas for Southern Ground-hornbills. Seven hundred comic books were given to our partners at Nourish adjacent to the Kruger National Park and The Kariega Foundation in the Eastern Cape.

Two trading cards, one each in English and Vietnamese, with a picture of and facts about pangolins

Wildlife Trading Card Series

Save Vietnam’s Wildlife
Vietnam
2018

In order to keep kids engaged in conservation, caring about wildlife, and spreading awareness of the plight of endangered animals, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife and Global Conservation Force developed a trading card series featuring 8 of the most vulnerable species in Vietnam. After attending the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife educational program, each child is given a trading card, featuring one of the eight species. They can share the information from their cards with each other and their families to keep the idea of conservation alive long after they leave the program.

International Wildlife Education Programs

Conservation Presentations and Workshops

United States
2014 – Present

Since 2014, Global Conservation Force has visited local schools, organizations, law enforcement officials, and government agencies to bring awareness to conservation, human-wildlife conflict, anti-poaching efforts, and more! Global Conservation Force Founder/CEO and anti-poaching ranger, Mike Veale, also hosts animal tracking courses for organizations such as the Boy Scouts.

Want to schedule a visit?
Please reach out to our education coordinator, Lauren Lee at l.lee@globalconservationforce.org for more information.

Wildlife Conservation Awareness Events

United States
2014 – Present

Global Conservation Force hosts informational booths across the country at events such as Earth Day, street fairs, farmers’ markets, museums, world species days, and other special occasions to bring awareness to wildlife trafficking, human-wildlife conflict, anti-poaching efforts, conservation, and the importance of biodiversity. 

Several elementary school students holding up Peter the Pangolin workbooks and pangolin signs

Pangolin Conservation Workbook

Pangolino
Nigeria, South Africa
2021

In collaboration with Pangolino, we brought 500 pangolin conservation coloring workbooks and 600 stickers to primary and junior secondary schools in southeastern Nigeria! Three communities, surrounding the Cross River National Park, a site reputed as one of the few remaining pangolin strongholds in Nigeria, participated and celebrated with Global Conservation Force and Pangolino. Nigeria continues to play a preeminent role in the global illegal pangolin trade and we hope that fostering community engagement in pangolin conservation will strengthen national and global efforts to curb pangolin trafficking.

Want to purchase a workbook?
We are excited to share that you can also purchase a workbook for your family, friends, work colleagues or yourself! This special opportunity to host them for sale in our online store allows us to donate three for every workbook purchased. You read that right, Buy One, Donate Three!

Purchase A Peter The Pangolin Workbook!

image of two saiga with their horns interlocked. Text below reads Wildlife Conservation. Mission to save saiga.

Saiga Antelope Classroom Presentations

Saiga Conservation Alliance
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia
2021

In partnership with Saiga Conservation Alliance, Global Conservation Force designed a series of saiga antelope conservation lesson plans. The educational series was developed for a wide range of students, from primary school (6-7 years old) to upper secondary (17-18 years old). Materials were made available in English, Russian, Kazakh, and Uzbek. The goal of the educational program was to inspire eco-guardians by teaching students about the saiga and how to help the conservation of the species. 

 

Close0p of an African Painted Dog's head with the Painted Dog Research Trust logo in the bottom right corner

Painted Dog Workbooks

Painted Dog Research Trust, Dr. Greg Rasmussen
Zimbabwe
2020

In partnership with Painted Dog Research Trust and Dr. Rasmussen, Global Conservation Force updated, upgraded, and expanded the existing painted dog wildlife workbook that is distributed to local communities in Zimbabwe. Dr. Rassmussen has been researching and fighting for the conservation of the painted dog since 1990. He has monitored the movement and number of the packs in Zimbabwe and continues to advocate for traffic speed safety to ensure the welfare of painted dogs. These educational materials make the plight of the dogs known to national and international organizations and raise funds for the conservation of painted dogs in Zimbabwe.

Mike Veale poses with faculty and high school students surrounding a Friends of Rhino Foundation sign

Javan Rhino Conservation Curriculum

Java
2018

The Javan rhinoceros is critically endangered with fewer than 100 individuals living in the wild. To help educate and bring awareness to the species, Global Conservation Force worked with a vocational boarding school for wildlife conservation, forestry, and marine sciences, in Indonesia. We expanded their school curriculum on rhino conservation. Topics included rhino behavior, ecotourism, and maritime protection, and mainly focused on the Javan rhino, which is indigenous to Indonesia.  To help facilitate a connection with the rhinos and nature, students were taken on field trips to Ujung Kulon National Park, home of the last wild Javan rhinos.

Founder of Global Conservation Force, Mike Veale, discusses his work with rangers in Africa to combat illegal wildlife trafficking at the State Department’s Front Line Defenders: Honoring Those Who Protect Wildlife event. Other speakers included Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the African Parks Network Andrea Heydlauff, Vice President of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation Susan Herman Lylis, and Founder of Freeland Brasil Juliana Machado Ferreira (Photo: U.S. Department of State).

U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.
2017

Global Conservation Force Founder/CEO, Mike Veale, was a keynote speaker for the U.S. Department of State’s 2017 World Wildlife Day event, Front Line Defenders: Honoring Those Who Protect Wildlife.  Mike discussed frontline wildlife protection activities and efforts to counter wildlife trafficking. This educational presentation to the audience of elected officials, nonprofits, federal law enforcement agencies, and international ambassadors activated a wide range of support for the issues wildlife face around the world.