Join Saba Douglas-Hamilton, Chair of the Future For Nature International Selection Committee, as she interviews Samia Saif and Shahriar Caesar Rahman, two dedicated conservationists combating illegal wildlife trafficking in Bangladesh.
Samia Saif, who won the Future For Nature award in 2013, conducted the first-ever research on tiger poaching, trade, and consumption in Bangladesh. Samia plays a crucial role in countering illegal wildlife trafficking as a project manager and strategy developer in support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), USAID-funded, Wildlife Protection Activity (WPA) program in Bangladesh. Shahriar Caesar Rahman, awarded the Future For Nature award in 2017, co-founded the Creative Conservation Alliance (CCA) in 2016 and has rescued endangered tortoise and turtle species from the brink of extinction. He is also active in the IUCN Species Survival Commission and a member of the Global Shapers community of the World Economic Forum.
In this insightful interview, discover the impactful developments in their careers since receiving the Future For Nature Award and starting their collaboration, and learn about their ongoing efforts and achievements in the field of wildlife conservation.
CHAPTERS
0:00: Intro: Saba Douglas-Hamilton, Chair of the Future For Nature International Selection Committee, introduces the two previous FFN award-winners Samia Sarif and Caesar Rahman.
4:03: What have been the biggest changes in your conservation career since winning the Future For Nature Award?
7:58: Caesar talks about the biggest challenges in his career as a behavioral researcher and how that has led him towards the fight against wildlife trafficking.
11:11: Samia talks about the greatest challenges in fighting wildlife crime in a country like Bangladesh where until recently it wasn’t acknowledged as being illegal and a problem.
15:04: Samia and Caesar talk about trying to change legislation so that it is not only seen as wildlife crime but also economic crime.
16:39: Samia talks about the biggest issues in her area of work, for example the live trafficking of African mammals like zebras and lions.
17:56: Caesar talks about the biggest issues in his area of work (turtles and tortoises) and the opportunities for protection and conservation.
20:50: Trying to turn poachers into conservationists.
24:48: Samia and Caesar talk about what motivated them to become conservationists and what keeps them going in what can feel like an ongoing uphill battle.
27:25: Samia and Caesar talk about how winning the Future For Nature Award and entering the Future For Nature family, a growing body of young conservationists all around the world, has helped them in moving their goals forward.
30:58: Samia and Caesar talk about their greatest achievements as collaborators.
35:58: The laureates offer guidance to the younger generations of winners of the Future For Nature Award.
38:37: End
About Future For Nature:
The Future For Nature Foundation (FFN) supports young, talented, and ambitious nature conservationists committed to protecting species of wild animals and plants. We believe in the power of the individual. Therefore, we select a new generation of nature conservationists who we believe make the difference for the future of nature. Natural leaders who inspire and with their drive and ‘stubbornness’ achieve impressive results. Annually, we put three of these promising young people in the spotlight.
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