The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted all areas of our life and further gone to test the leadership of many nations, organizations and institutions. The conservation sector has not been spared. The sector has experienced disruptions in its fieldwork activities, office closures, income loss, among others. The leadership of these organizations have had to make tough decisions. Decisions that would see their organizations and employees cushioned from the economic and social shocks caused by the pandemic, decisions that would ensure the safety and well-being of their employees, and decisions that would ensure that they continue to stay committed to their mission of protecting biodiversity in the new normal.

Coronavirus, a zoonotic disease, has further demonstrated the strong interconnection between ecosystem health and human health. Now more than ever, biodiversity organization are faced with the challenge of ensuring that their activities will trigger actions that contribute to stopping nature loss and avert future pandemics and other disasters.

This webinar discussed key leadership practices that leaders of conservation organizations are employing in dealing and responding to the global pandemic. The event enabled conservation organizations learn from each other on how to effectively manage crisis at the individual, organization and institutional levels, and discussed a range of opportunities for building more resilience in the current and future crises. 

Moderator
Lucy Waruingi – Executive Director, African Conservation Centre (ACC)

Speakers
Ademola Ajagbe – Africa Director, BirdLife International
Luther Bois Anukur – Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO) for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Munira Bashir – Kenya Program Director, The Nature Conservancy, Africa Region
Michael O’Brien-Onyeka – Senior Vice President for the Africa Field Division (AfFD) at Conservation International (CI).

Click here for a recap about the event and to listen to the webinar recording