WEN Performance

Establish an Inter-American Wildlife College is focused on creating a dedicated regional institution to strengthen capacity for wildlife conservation and enforcement across the Americas. Activities may include developing comprehensive curricula, building a network of trainers and experts, launching fellowship programmes, establishing a network of training sites in diverse ecosystems, and fostering alumni networks to support continuous learning and collaboration. By combining academic study with practical experience, the college would produce a skilled workforce ready to contribute to wildlife enforcement and conservation at scale.

The CAR-WEN Strategic Plan presents Establish an Inter-American Wildlife College as an external support strategy—one that the CAR-WEN can help facilitate but which will require external leadership and investment. The Plan outlines a pathway that begins with regional training needs assessments, followed by collaborative curriculum design, the creation of a professional trainer network, and the development of hands-on fellowship and mentorship opportunities. Training sites across the Americas would provide immersive field learning, while alumni and professional networks would help sustain collaboration long after graduation. These elements together aim to create a centre of excellence for wildlife education and training.

Looking ahead, the establishment of an Inter-American Wildlife College offers a transformative opportunity to standardise and elevate wildlife enforcement and conservation training across borders. By partnering with academic institutions, governments, NGOs, and other Wildlife Enforcement Networks, this initiative could become a global model for integrating enforcement capacity building with conservation science. Over time, the college would help create a professional community equipped to lead on complex challenges, improve coordination across jurisdictions, and strengthen the collective ability to combat wildlife crime throughout the Americas and beyond.