Shannon Noelle Rivera
Focused on the Intersections of Conservation
About Shannon...
Shannon Noelle Rivera is a conservation scientist, wildlife crime researcher, and environmental consultant largely focused on international conservation and the importance of intersections within conservation practice, including addressing animal welfare issues, identifying gender-sensitive strategies, exploring under-prioritized areas of the illegal wildlife trade, and pursuing innovative M&E approaches for conservation effectiveness
With a focus on international conservation, Shannon has worked on all seven continents on various conservation initiatives alongside NGOs, IGOS, governmental agencies, and private contractors. Most recently, Shannon has served as a technical expert with USFWS Division of International Conservation, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Wildlife Crime Research Unit, and US Forest Service. |
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Between contracts, Shannon is proud to advocate for the protection of endangered species and our natural world as a contracted naturalist and science communicator.
Education
• United Nations Institute for Training & Research | Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, 2022 Master's in International Affairs & Diplomacy 
• University of Winchester, 2018 Master of Science, Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law, with Distinction Thesis: Surviving the Wildlife Trade in Southeast Asia: Reforming the ‘Disposal’ of Confiscated Live Animals under CITES. 
•University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa, 2016
Bachelor's in Environmental Studies Bachelor's in Gender & Conflict Resolution Zoology Minor | Dance Minor Peace Studies Certification 
•University of California, San Diego, 2012 Fundraising and Non-Profit Development Program 
•University of Buenos Aires, 2011 Spanish |
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
2022 1st Place Award, Annual Award for Best Master's Thesis (UOC,UNITAR)
2020 USFS Regional Forester Award: Citizen Forester Program
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
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
2020 USFS Regional Forester Award: Citizen Forester Program
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
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