Almost all of the world’s EDGE species occur in developing countries, which frequently lack the capacity and resources to protect them.  We believe strongly that training is an essential component of conservation and that only by supporting local people to develop the skills to conserve their own local biodiversity will long-term conservation goals be met.

The EDGE Fellows programme is in essence what EDGE is all about: undertaking high quality practical conservation work in the field to assess the status of EDGE species, establishing their conservation needs and developing coherent conservation action plans to protect them and the habitats they depend upon. These plans will be made available both to the public and the international conservation community through the EDGE website.

EDGE Fellows are aspiring in-country scientists, students or park rangers keen to develop the skills needed to become successful conservation professionals. Fellows are provided with the funding and support they need to carry out extensive research into the status and threats facing a particular EDGE species, helping them to develop the local expertise needed to protect them.

Under the supervision of scientists at ZSL, in-country universities and partner organisations, EDGE Fellows receive guidance and training in monitoring techniques, community outreach, education and policy-making.  They participate in all phases of a conservation project, including study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation.  Each research project will produce an internationally-available conservation action plan identifying the specific actions required to conserve focal EDGE species.  Fellows also post regular blogs on the EDGE website, keeping supporters updated with their research and progress.  At the end of the study each EDGE Fellow has the opportunity to become involved in the implementation of the conservation actions they have recommended, through running a workshop of local stakeholders who will decide how to move forward with conservation action.

The EDGE Fellows Programme is rapidly expanding and we are delighted that a number of Fellows are already working in the field to protect EDGE species and their habitats.