Thanks to World Wildlife Fund's Russel E. Train Education for Nature (EFN), nine environmental professionals from seven countries were awarded the opportunity to attend this month’s international Economic Tools for Conservation course at Stanford University. EFN provides financial support to professionals and organizations worldwide for higher education, short-term training, and practical mentoring programs.

CSF participants have been awarded grants through EFN’s Professional Development program, including their Women in the Congo Basin and Andes-Amazon Capacity Building Initiatives. This year's recipients include: Isabel Castañeda Hurtado, Peru, Specialist in Economic Valuation for the Ministry of Environment (MINAM) of Peru; Juan Ricardo Gomez, Colombia, Professor in Ecology and Conservation at the Universidad Javeriana Bogota-Colombia; Noelia Garzon, Bolivia, Policies Coordinator for Fundación Bolivia; Pablo Pinell, Bolivia, General Manager for the Initiative for Sustainable Development in Bolivia; Paul Eguiguren, Ecuador, Principal Forest Research Technical Officer for Universided Nacional de Loja-Ecuador; Rondang Siregar, Indonesia, Wildlife Conservation Specialist for The Nature Conservancy-Indonesia Forest Program; Tatiana Ojeda Luna, Ecuador, Researcher for the Universidad Nacional de Loja; Valence Ngasia Lela, Democratic Republic of Congo, Head Officer and IWRM and Ground Water Expert, Ministry of the Environment, Conservation of Nature & Tourism/Water REsources Directorate; and Zuwena Kikoti, Tanzania, Game Officer for the Wildlife Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism After completing the course, these participants will be able to use economics to be more strategic and successful in their conservation work.

These skills are crucial at a time when global-scale environmental changes are being driven by a diversity of economic factors, and when conservation leaders are striving to harness opportunities to reward the preservation of ecosystem services. CSF is grateful to WWF-EFN for providing vital support for these CSF course participants. For more information on the WWF Russel E. Train Education for Nature grant opportunities, please visit their site at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/fellowships/train/item1825.html