During the the 5th Africa Congress for Conservation Biology (ACCB) held at the University of Lagos, Nigeria from August 31 to Sept 4, 2026, JRS sponsored a Conservation Career Panel Discussion on September 2nd. The event was designed to inspire students, early-career professionals, and conservation enthusiasts while strengthening mentorship and capacity-building across Africa.

Hosted in the evening on a scenic rooftop space, the event broke from standard conference formats. Participants were seated in a circular formation, evoking the rich, traditional African storytelling sessions where community elders share educational and entertaining wisdom with youth in the evenings. This intimate, culturally resonant setup fostered an interactive environment, encouraging attendees to freely ask questions, share comments, and engage with the speakers.

The panel brought together an inspiring group of experienced conservation practitioners and emerging leaders, representing diverse career paths and perspectives within the conservation sector. Speakers included Badru Mugerwa, Global President of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB); Dr Adedotun Afolayan, President of ACCB; Dr Salamatu Fada, conservationist, international development specialist, educator and politician; and Dr Siro Masinde, JRS Program Officer. The panel also featured Emmanuel Elisha, Research Coordinator, and Godiya Gaya, Community Education Manager, from Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation, a JRS grantee in Nigeria.

Each panelist brought a unique professional journey, highlighting the many different pathways into and through a career in conservation. Their experiences spanned research, conservation practice, community engagement, education, development, resource mobilization, policy influence and leadership. Together, their stories offered participants a broad range of experiences and lessons, demonstrating that conservation careers are rarely linear and that opportunities often emerge through persistence, relationships, learning and a willingness to take on new challenges. The key take ways that emerged as essential values for building a successful and impactful career in conservation were:

• Following one’s passion by staying true to the work and the wildlife that drives you.
• Being resilient by remaining focused and patient in the face of the inevitable challenges and setbacks.
• Seeking mentorship by identifying and leaning on people who can guide one’s professional path.
• Building connections by prioritizing networking and collaboration as conservation is a collective effort.

For JRS, supporting this type of learning and knowledge exchange is an important part of its commitment to capacity building in sub–Saharan Africa. Beyond mobilizing biodiversity data and knowledge, strengthening people’s skills, networks and institutions needed to apply that knowledge is essential for advancing effective and evidence-based conservation across the continent.