Thanks to support from Catmosphere—a foundation dedicated to raising awareness about crucial work in big cat conservation—Yamat Lengai will join us as Conservation Nation’s newest fellow! As the Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Adaptation officer at African People & Wildlife (APW), Yamat oversees the efforts to monitor and minimize conflicts between her fellow people—the Indigenous Maasai—and the lions, leopards, and cheetahs of northern Tanzania. This fellowship will help Yamat pursue leadership opportunities and advance her promising career in big cat conservation.
Conservation Nation is committed to supporting conservationists from traditionally marginalized communities, and Yamat is no exception. She hails from a region with a highly patriarchal society and is no stranger to adversity or taking on a challenge. Yamat has helped change the perception that local people—including rural women—cannot use advanced technologies. She is proficient in several wildlife tracking and GIS software programs—particularly those used to plan the placement of predator-proof corrals for APW’s Living Walls program and to manage the organization’s big cat and livestock conflict database. Yamat’s efforts have contributed to the exciting recovery of the Tarangire lion population and the coexistence of big cats and people across a wide expanse of northern Tanzania.
Funding from this fellowship will support Yamat’s work in the Living Walls program and help cover the costs of media outreach. It will also enable her to build new skills via English language, wildlife conservation, and program management coursework. Additionally, as a Conservation Nation fellow, Yamat will have the opportunity to serve as a mentor to new staff members on the growing big cat conservation team at APW.
“I’m grateful to be selected as a Conservation Nation Fellow and have the opportunity to be a role model to other conservationists and young girls who are working on their dreams. Being selected…is a great honor that will help big cats in Tanzania and the people in my community.”
We are thrilled to welcome Yamat to our community of wildlife champions and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes through her fellowship!
