Photo courtesy of Nilton Cuna
Nilton Cuna is the business and tourism manager for the Niassa Special Reserve, the largest protected area in Mozambique. He has been awarded a Fonseca Program Fellowship for graduate studies focused on how improved concession management performance models can contribute to conservation objectives and support an integrated local economy. In a GEF Voices interview, he shared his hopes for his return to school.
What does your work involve?
I am based in Nyasa Special Reserve and I work in business management, which involves tourism and infrastructure development. My role is part of all those complex efforts to ensure a conservation of the protected area and Mozambique’s biodiversity, and also to ensure local development, sustainable development. We are working on sustainable development and we are also working on environmental protection together.
How will the Fonseca Fellowship make a difference in your life and work?
Being selected for this fellowship was really a gift for me. I strongly believe that it will uplift my ability to make a difference for sustainable development and environmental management. Pursuing a master’s degree will help me to be in better position to contribute, to share my knowledge, and to transfer my field experience to something more documented that can be also used to influence other young people to be interested in a career in conservation.
What is special to you about the Fonseca Program?
I think this initiative is one of the best I've ever seen because it targets people who are already doing working in the field and need more opportunities, more academic background, more science support to improve their performance towards conservation. I think it's a really great initiative. I'm sure that as a result of this support, people like me will be able to influence a lot how other young African people see conservation.
Learn more about the Fonseca Leadership Program.
