Mwezi "Badru" Mugerwa | 2025 Emerging Conservationist | Indianapolis Prize

Описание: Mugerwa is an 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..