Erinn Drage is an environmentalist, filmmaker, protected areas enthusiast and outdoor adventure guide from Canmore, Alberta, Canada. In recent years Erinn has worked as an expedition guide in the ...
IUCN COMMISSION GROUP
IUCN WCPA Young Professionals
Overview and description
Description:
The WCPA Young Professionals (YP) Network is a cross-cutting group representing a collective forum of like-minded young professionals (18-35 years old) with passion, interest and expertise in ...
Group leadership
Ms Erinn DRAGE
Erinn Drage is an environmentalist, filmmaker, protected areas enthusiast and outdoor adventure guide from Canmore, Alberta, Canada. In recent years Erinn has worked as an expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctica, directed, shot, and edited digital media series’ for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and conducted research on nature-based tourism economies in the Denali region of Alaska. Erinn is currently a PhD Student in Stanford University's Doerr School of Sustainability.
The YP Network supports YP engagement within broader Commission activities and encourages their integration into WCPA’s Specialist Groups, Task Forces, Themes, and Regions. The network also works to facilitate and promote intergenerational collaboration and knowledge exchange between established and emerging protected area leaders and professionals.
The YP network serves as a driving force to facilitate capacity development and leadership training for young conservationist and further support their engagement and participation in the design, establishment, management and governance processes of protected areas, as well as in the communication of the importance of nature conservation.
In addition to facilitating the integration of Young Professionals into WCPA’s work more broadly, the Network also supports YP participation at select Congresses (such as at the Asia Parks Congress and Africa Protected Areas Congress) and delivers on the IUCN Youth Strategy within the Commission.
How can you Become a WCPA YP Network Member?
All members of WCPA YP Network have to be 35 or under during the IUCN Quadrennial.
- Fulfil the description of ‘an exceptional younger person who has personal and/or professional characteristics which identify them as a current or potential conservation leader’.
- Have a background of studies or learning in conservation and be engaged in or pursuing roles or careers closely related to the WCPA's vision and mission.
- Have developed a body of expertise relevant to WCPA and have a long-term commitment to sharing that expertise with others around the world for conservation outcomes.
- Understand that all members work is undertaken in a voluntary capacity and be willing and able to contribute time and effort to the work of the WCPA.
- Apply for WCPA Membership by registering and filling in the online application here. Membership of any IUCN Commission is for the IUCN Quadrennial following the IUCN World Conservation Congresses. It needs to be renewed every four years following the Congress. The next WCC will be held in 2025.
- On approval, the member is added to the Commission via the IUCN Portal and a confirmation email is sent. Note that all WCPA members under the age of 35 are automatically added to the WCPA Young Professionals Network. No additional application is required.
All new YP Network members should familiarise themselves with the WCPA Governance Document and other IUCN governance documents.
Other Ways to Connect with the WCPA YP Network
- Join the Facebook Group: Search for “Young Protected Areas Leaders and Friends” and click join the group
Regions
|
Region |
Young Professional Regional Focal Point |
Countries and territories covered |
|
Caribbean and Central America |
Alexa Morales |
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, France—Martinique, Saint Martin The Netherlands—Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), Curaçao, Sint Maarten, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland— Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States of America—Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands |
|
East and Southern Africa |
Nyandire Reinhard |
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, France—Mayotte, Réunion |
|
East Asia |
Shaohua Wang |
China, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Mongolia, China—Macao Special Administrative Region |
|
Europe |
Ricardo Nogueira Martins |
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Norway(Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands), Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Denmark— Faroe Islands, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—Gibraltar |
|
North Africa, West Asia, Middle East |
Fatima Abuhaliqa |
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, State of Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen |
|
North America |
Sara Pineda |
Canada, Mexico, United States of America |
|
North Eurasia |
Vacant |
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
|
Oceania |
Josh Taylor |
Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, France—French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Islands, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, United States of America—Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Samoa (American) |
|
South America |
Rodrigo Arias |
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, France—French Guiana |
|
South Asia |
Amrita Menon |
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—British Indian Ocean Territory |
|
Southeast Asia |
Nadzirah Hosen |
Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam |
|
West and Central Africa |
Yves Olatoundji |
Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Còte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo |