Shannon Noelle Rivera

• Focused on the  Intersections of Conservation • 
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About Shannon...

Shannon Noelle Rivera is a conservation scientist and environmental consultant largely focused on the importance of intersections within conservation practice, including and addressing animal welfare within conservation, identifying gender-sensitive strategies, and exploring under-prioritized areas of the illegal wildlife trade.

Based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Shannon works within Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Australasia as a board member with the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania and co-founded Hawaii’s Society for Conservation Biology Chapter. Shannon has worked throughout Southeast Asia, the Amazon region, Oceania, and North America on wildlife trafficking issues, wildlife rehabilitation, reforestation, and various other conservation initiatives.


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Shannon received a Master of Science with Distinction in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law in September 2018 with the University of Winchester. Her thesis examined limitations to the proper treatment and disposal of illegally traded and confiscated live animals in Southeast Asia. The latest manuscript for this research was published in February 2021:  Surviving the Wildlife Trade in Southeast Asia: Reforming the ‘Disposal’ of Confiscated Live Animals under CITES.

Shannon works in forestry as a consultant with the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry program; Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the US Forest Service, Smart Trees Pacific, and the Los Angeles Urban Research Center where she builds urban forestry capacity throughout Hawai'i, the Pacific region, and beyond.

At the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Shannon received two B.A.s in Environmental Studies and Gender and Conflict Resolution, respectively, with minors in Zoology, Peace Studies and Dance. Her undergraduate research, supported through the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Ecology Lab within the Natural Resource and Environmental Management Department, examined barriers to assisted colonization for climate sensitive species. 

When not working in the field, Shannon is proud to advocate for the protection of endangered species and our natural world as a contracted lecturer and wildlife host. In 2019, Shannon travelled to seven countries presenting her wildlife lecture series, Wild Planet, showcased on both Celebrity Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruise Lines.


Education

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​• United Nations Institute for Training & Research | Universitat Oberta de Catalunya,  Master's in International Affairs & Diplomacy
​                              Expected 2022 

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​• University of Winchester,  2018
Master of Science, Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law, with Distinction

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​•University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa, 2016
Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies
Bachelor of Arts, Gender & Conflict Resolution
Zoology Minor | Dance Minor
Peace Studies Certification

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​•University of California, San Diego,  2012
 Fundraising and Non-Profit Development Program

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​•University of Buenos Aires, 2011
​ Spanish and Dance


​ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
2020               Recipient of NOAA / Pacific Risk Management Ohana Full Registration Scholarship
2019                ICCB 2019 Student Presentation Award Finalist, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 
2019                CITES CoP17 Delegate, Youth for Wildlife Conservation, Geneva, Switzerland              
2018                
Recipient of Society for Conservation Biology’s 2018 Graduate Research  
                          Fellowship
2018               1st Place Award, International Fund for Animal Welfare Annual Essay Competition, 
                        ‘Playing Politics with Animals: Corruption in CITES and the International Wildlife Trade’
2017 
               Recipient of University of Winchester's International Taught Master Scholarship
2017                Recipient of US Fish & Wildlife Service Conservation Career Symposium
                          Scholarship, Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge, Hilo
Hawaiʻi
2017                Recipient of the Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance’s HCC Student Scholarship
2016                Recipient of the UH Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Grant,
                           Presentation Funding

2016                1st Place Undergraduate Research & Social Science Oral Presentation, UH
                          Undergraduate Showcase
2016                Recipient of the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii’s Scholarship
2016                Recipient of the University of Hawaii’s Achievement Scholarship
2016                Recipient of the Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance’s Student Participation Opportunity
​                          Grant, 2016 World Conservation Congress 

2016                University of Hawaii’s Dean’s List
2015                University of Hawaii’s Dean’s List

2014                University of Hawaii’s Dean’s List
CERTIFICATIONS
2020                United Nations InforMEA Diploma, International Environmental Law & Governance

2019               Arborist Training Certificate of Completion, International Society of Arboriculture

2019                Pacific Island Forestry Professional (PIFC) Certification, USDA Forest Service  

2018                Red List Assessor Certification, International Union for the Conservation of  
                          Nature (IUCN)

2016               Gender & Social Justice Certification,  CSS-IUCN University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

2016                Sustainability Certification, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Outreach & IUCN

2016                Peace Studies Certification, The Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Conflict
                           Resolution 

​2016                Registered Protected Species Observer (Marine Mammals) Certification, Bureau of
                          Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)
ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS
2020          Honolulu, Hawaiʻi - Presenter, 27th Annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference, Urban Tree Species Identification

2019         Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Presenter, SCB’s 29th International Congress for Conservation Biology, Disposal of Confiscated Live Animals in Southeast Asia

2019          Honolulu, Hawaiʻi - Presenter, 26th Annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference, Urban ʻĀina Symposium

2019         Mexico, Hawaiʻi, California - Lecturer, Wild Hawaiʻi Lecture Series Onboard Carnival Cruise Lines

2019         Colombo, Sri Lanka - 2019 Global Dialogue on Wildlife Trafficking International Symposium (Abstract Only)

2017          Cartagena, Colombia - Presenter, SCB’s 28th International Congress for Conservation Biology, Barriers to Assisted Colonization

2017          Honolulu, Hawaiʻi - Invited Presenter, 24th Annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference, Barriers to Assisted Colonization

2016          Montpellier, France - Invited Presenter, 5th International Ecosummit Congress 2016, Endangered Species Management & Conservation

2016          Honolulu, Hawaiʻi - Undergraduate Presenter, CTAHR Student Research Symposium, Endangered Species Management & Conservation

2016          Honolulu, Hawaiʻi - First Place Presenter, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa UROP Undergraduate Showcase, Barriers to Assisted Colonization
publications
List of Publications

Research Projects
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"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught." -Baba Dioum
Shannon Noelle Rivera
© COPYRIGHT 2021 |  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
  Shannon N. Rivera
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