Testimonials from Conflict Training Participants
“I wish I had this training thirty years ago! Thank you so much. It was terrific. I learned more than I can say. The interactions with other participants were fascinating and the trainer's ability to guide the group was amazing to see.” – Marshall Jones, Senior Conservation Advisor, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and former Deputy Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service
“You don’t realize how much you need this training until you’ve taken it!” – Nancy Gloman, VP Field Operations, Defenders of Wildlife
“US National Park Service participants of a recent HWCC training reported that this was among the best trainings they attended and that they wanted to use the training to ‘change the culture of the Park Service.’” - Kirsten Leong, NPS
“The knowledge and processes I gained through training is critical to our mission as an organization; I would like to send every person who is part of my organization through the HWCC training course!” – Camilla Fox, Executive Director, Project Coyote
“As a result of the training, I helped establish a community organization that deals with HWC [and engages] Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) …so we can change the negative attitude people have towards KWS. I have seen remarkably positive responses in every subsequent meeting.” - Simon Kasaine, PhD candidate Western Kentucky University
“In my 20 year career, this is the best training I’ve ever attended” – Senior Staff, US State Fish and Game Agency
“The conflict training hosted by HWCC is exactly the kind of cutting edge and interdisciplinary cross fertilization that is needed…” – International conservation NGO practitioner
”The workshop was one of the most pertinent workshops I have been privileged to attend…This is a powerful tool to add to any conservationists' toolkit, no doubt.” - Monica Wrobel, Wildlife Conservation Society
“How could ANYone with blood running through them NOT benefit from this??” – USGS Senior Staff
“I had previously taken a semester-long Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) course. Everyday, I left that course feeling very helpless and that there were no solutions to HWC – there were very few research papers with a happy ending and none of them described a best-practice methodology. The HWCC course was so different. Here, we learned tools that I felt we could actually use and I didn't feel that all HWC situations were hopeless. This course was such a relief.” – Dana Stewart, George Mason University, graduate student
"One of the most rewarding outcomes of the workshop was how to apply conflict resolution in conservation to build trust—for most conservationists this is a significant challenge…”
“Get this training embedded in the curriculum in conservation and wildlife education programs in colleges and grad schools!”
“I feel much more confident about doing research that involves HWC…I participated in a HWCC training course just as I was about to enter the field to assess conflict surrounding wildlife-induced crop losses. Using the tools from the HWCC training I was able to adjust my research methods to better identify the underlying, deep rooted, and identity issues that were integral to the state of conflict. Had I not received this training I might have missed key components of the developing social conflict that threatens 40 years of biodiversity conservation surrounding endangered species on an island in the Caribbean. Using HWCC training not only was my research improved, I was able to make a valuable contribution towards the management of a developing phenomenon that appears to be arising in multiple territories in this priority region of the Neotropics. I cannot emphasize more how critical this training was for my research. I would strongly recommend it to anyone pursuing graduate research related to human conflict involving any aspect of biodiversity conservation and natural resources management…My individual behavior has changed as I now recognize the value of being a third-party neutral and understand the need to apply techniques that better reveal the identity and deep rooted issues that affect HWC and influence attempts at mitigation and resolution.” - Leo Douglas, PhD Candidate, Columbia University
“This training has helped me to better understand deep-rooted conflicts, to identify their symptoms, and to anticipate their impact on conservation projects. Specifically, deep-rooted conflicts often simmer between Tribes and State conservation agencies. While open disputes are rare, they can ignite quickly given a sensitive topic or callous approach. Cooperation between these organizations requires an extended, iterative process that develops trust, builds on common ground, and considers the myriad of socio-cultural, political, and historical trends influencing each stakeholder. My ability to identify sensitive topics, build frameworks for collaboration, and appreciate the time necessary to progress is all based upon HWCC’s training.” – Cyrus Hester, Project Coordinator for the Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians
“I would say that I have to a great degree applied the principles of the training to internal organizational situations where conflict and disagreement are present, and in that sense, I think that the training has a broader application than even some sponsors/presenters would credit.” – Senior staff of a national animal welfare organization
“As a result of the training, I allow time for various parties to express their emotional arguments and try to build this into working with stakeholders. I try not to jump too quickly into the solution mode. This has been key as my agency works to address the aftermath (and causes) of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.” - Jill Lewandowski, Protected Species Biologist, BOEMRE
“I think that every conservation professional should be required to have some conflict resolution training. The training offers the resources that professionals need to evaluate an issue, identify a problem and develop measures to resolve or alleviate a situation.” - US Conservation NGO
“The greatest impact of the training for me has been an improvement in my ability to think about stakeholder interactions with a different mindset and that has been very valuable. The tools I learned during training have become vital as I engage more stakeholders in complex interactions.” – Conservation Practitioner
“Before any potentially contentious meeting, I now map out the relationships between the stakeholders. Conflict mapping has helped me decipher the complex relationships that may exist in the room.” – US state wildlife agency staff
“The training has helped me to be more thoughtful and analytical in projects.”