Emerging Conservationist
Emerging Conservationist Award?
The Emerging Conservationist award – made possible through a grant from the Kobe Foundation – is a biennial award recognizing conservationists under 40 years of age with the talent and drive to make a significant impact on saving an animal species or group of species. Established to help support their work, the Emerging Conservationist Award aims to encourage the courageous, talented and dedicated people who devote themselves to protecting Earth’s wild things and wild places.
Through a two-stage selection process, a Review Committee will narrow the application pool to 10 Finalists who will then be sent to the Selection Committee. Once the Selection Committee chooses a Winner from the top three applicants, the Winner will be notified and receive a $50,000 award to further their work.
Mugerwa is a Ugandan conservationist and researcher and is the founder and director of Embaka, a grassroots community-based conservation organization focused on the preservation of the African golden cat. He established the first-ever community-based anti-poaching conservation project focused on the African golden cat at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda. Mugerwa also created the African Golden Cat Conservation Alliance (AGCCA), a network of African nationals implementing conservation activities for the African golden cat across the species range. Additionally, Mugerwa serves as the president of the Society for Conservation Biology’s Africa Region and is the president-elect for the Society for Conservation Biology Global.
Mugerwa began studying the African golden cat through research using camera traps, where he captured a black and white image of an unknown animal in the forest. At the time, the African golden cat was virtually unknown—an elusive species found only in the forests of equatorial Africa. Turning to the community, he came to understand how the wild cat’s primary threat—poaching—was directly connected to the livelihood of local people, as it is often caught in bushmeat snares.
Over the past 15 years, Cornejo has devoted her professional life to primate conservation and research. She leads Yunkawasi, a conservation organization she founded with her mother, the late Fanny Fernández Melo. Yunkawasi works with Amazonian and Andean communities for the conservation of threatened species through sustainable economic development, education and a protected area management approach.
The Emerging Conservationist Award is supported by the Kobe Foundation and as the Winner, Cornejo will receive a $50,000 award to continue with the Yunkawasi conservation work for endangered species through engaging participation from more than 20 rural and indigenous communities to sustainably manage territories and create protected areas. To date, more than 15,000 people have been reached through Cornejo’s conservation education programs focused on Peruvian endangered wildlife. She has also authored more than 100 scientific articles and congressional presentations.
2025 Emerging Conservationist Award Finalists
The Emerging Conservationist Award recognizes professional wildlife conservationists, biologists and scientists under 40 years of age working to make strides in saving animal species from extinction. The Emerging Conservationist Award Winner will be announced in March 2025 and will be recognized at the 2025 Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc. in downtown Indianapolis on September 27, 2025.