This proposal builds on a successful partnership between JRS and Re:Wild that began in 2024 and delivered significant outcomes. Re:wild plans to build upon these achievements by funding sub-grants with trusted African biodiversity institutions to undertake field expeditions, facilitate laboratory and field research, deploy cutting-edge biodiversity monitoring tools, and to ensure that the collected data is effectively mobilized for conservation impact, and media coverage of exciting discoveries and expedition efforts. This partnership will strategically invest in a scalable, high-impact approach to biodiversity data collection, empowering a pre-identified range of African researcher partners to not only rediscover lost species but also translate data into meaningful conservation outcomes. At the same time, JRS Biodiversity Foundation supports Re:wild with the critical resources needed to establish monitoring programs, and sustain field implementation, training, and data integration into key conservation decision-making processes. Re:wild will also facilitate data analysis, including eDNA labs to support locally led research to grow, scale, and sustain management of vital habitats and the conservation of diverse species.

This project will support subgrants to 7 projects in two megadiversity countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania over the next two years. The subgrants will fund expenses for fieldwork, equipment and training with minimal overhead costs and engage mobilized, fully-capable teams of local experts in two priority countries. 

Re:wild will connect searchers with international and taxonomic experts through our partnerships to provide technical support to search design, species identification, and survey analysis. For example, all bird searches will be supported by the Lost Birds partnership where experts from the American Bird Conservancy and BirdLife International are providing advice on locations, survey design, species identification, sourcing of call recordings etc. Re:wild will also support early career conservationists with their final proposals, budgets, and reporting as well as helping them to effectively communicate their surveys and results, so building capacity and a new generation of conservationists focused on the conservation of overlooked species. Re:wild will also build and maintain a peer-to-peer network of the young conservationists supported by the partnership.

Benjamin Barca – Re:Wild: Exploration Program Manager
Benjamin is a conservationist and nature tech expert with over 15 years of experience across Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America and Europe. His career spans technical and specialist roles with WCS and RSPB, where he spearheaded multi-stakeholder initiatives to protect threatened taxa, including Pygmy Hippos and Western Red Colobus. Recently, as Head of Conservation at NatureMetrics, he specialized in scaling eDNA technology for biodiversity monitoring and nature financing. Benjamin focuses on bridging the gap between field-based exploration and emerging technologies. He holds a BSc from the University of St. Andrews and an MSc from the University of Oxford.