Shannon Noelle Rivera

• Focused on the  Intersections of Conservation • 
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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, and exploring under-prioritized areas of the illegal wildlife trade.

Over the past ten years, Shannon has worked within Southeast Asia, Latin America, Southern Africa, Oceania, Europe, and North America on various conservation initiatives alongside NGOs, IGOS, governmental agencies, and private contractors.


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Shannon received a Master of Science with Distinction from the University of Winchester where her thesis examined limitations to the proper treatment and disposal of illegally traded and confiscated live animals in Southeast Asia. Access to OA article here:  Surviving the Wildlife Trade in Southeast Asia: Reforming the ‘Disposal’ of Confiscated Live Animals under CITES.

Shannon received two bachelor's and three minors from the University of Hawaiʻi where her undergraduate research examined barriers to assisted colonization for climate sensitive species. This research was a part of the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Ecology Lab within the Natural Resource and Environmental Management Department. Access the OA article here: Perceived Barriers to the Use of Assisted Colonization for Climate Sensitive Species in the Hawaiian Islands.

Currently, Shannon is completing a second Master's in International Affairs and Diplomacy with the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) with the goal of creating more robust and proactive dialogue within international relations on biodiversity loss while 
increasing the use of diplomatic mechanisms to support conservation.

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 science communicator.


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               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 

Research Projects
Work Experience
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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 2022 |  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
  Shannon N. Rivera
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  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • RESEARCH
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