Charles Wheeler

I first became involved in conservation research ten years ago as a volunteer in Costa Rica, and over the next six consecutive years I volunteered and worked in more projects around the world. After completing my BSc in Wildlife conservation at Liverpool John Moores University in 2017, I worked in Northwest Madagascar for the Madagascar Research Conservation Institute. Here, I worked to implement a reforestation and agroforestry programme that aimed to restore important native species that would benefit both wildlife and local livelihoods.

More recently, I graduated from the University of Bristol studying MSc Global Wildlife Health and Conservation, where my research with Bristol Zoological Society focused on evaluating reforestation efforts in Northern Madagascar. In 2021, I chose to return to conservation research in the field and worked on a mangrove reforestation project with Latin American Sea Turtles in Costa Rica, propagating and planting five endangered species, monitoring mangrove forest health, and analysing survival data. Gaining hands-on experience working in remote tropical environments and working directly with local communities is what has made me pursue a career in conservation.

I joined the Chester Zoo’s Field Programmes team as Project Officer for the Madagascar and Mascarenes region in April 2022. In this role, I hope to bring the skills I have learnt working in the field in Madagascar and elsewhere to promote the conservation of ecosystems, habitats, and species with our Malagasy partner organisation Madagasikara Voakajy.