Supporting tomorrow’s parrot conservation leaders: Ifeanyi Ezenwa reflects on the Oxford Masterclass on Mitigating Illegal Wildlife Trade
Building capacity among conservation leaders is central to WPT’s mission to protect parrots. Nigeria Programme coordinator, Ifeanyi Ezenwa, recently completed a multi-week course delivered by the University of Oxford on mitigating the illegal wildlife trade and reflects on here on his conservation journey.
“When I joined the course, I expected to deepen my knowledge of the regional wildlife trade with respect to West Africa, but what I encountered went far beyond that. The sessions revealed just how complex and interconnected wildlife trade systems are from local livelihoods to global markets, and from cultural values to international governance. I was particularly struck by how the drivers of illegal wildlife trade are often woven into wider social and ecological systems, making solutions far from straightforward.
What inspired me most was the opportunity to apply system mapping methods to explore the various actors involved in a typical wildlife trade, identify key stakeholders and interventions, critically evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions, and learned practical tools for designing impactful conservation projects. Furthermore, the course sharpened my understanding of the motivations of different actors including, communities, traders, policymakers and how meaningful change requires engaging all of them in thoughtful, inclusive ways.
For me, this experience is more than just career growth. It strengthens my passion to advance parrot conservation and community-driven biodiversity protection in Nigeria. I now feel better equipped to help design interventions that are not only effective but also sustainable and grounded in the realities of the people and ecosystems they aim to support.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to learn from peers working on the frontline across West Africa alongside academics and, and I look forward to putting this knowledge into action to contribute to a future where wildlife and people are protected from the harms of illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade.”
