Course: Facilitation for Wildlife Conservation

Why take this course?

Most conservation work happens in groups, and most groups are complicated. Protecting a migratory corridor, managing a shared landscape, or resolving a conflict over natural resources means bringing together people who see the world differently, have competing interests, and sometimes carry decades of distrust. Getting those people to a place where they can think clearly together and make decisions they will actually honour is not something that happens on its own.

What makes the difference, more often than not, is the person running the process. Not the one with the best technical knowledge or the loudest voice, but the one who has prepared well, can hold their neutrality under pressure, knows how to draw out the quiet voices, and can steer a group through disagreement without letting it derail. That is facilitation.

This course offers a structured approach built from real conservation contexts, designed to help you learn the professional facilitation skills that have been developed over decades.

Conservation consultants who design or lead facilitated processes and want a structured best practice framework to underpin their approach.

Conservation managers who convene meetings, workshops, or multi-stakeholder processes and want to make those sessions more productive and inclusive.

Organisational leads who want to strengthen the quality of internal collaboration and collective decision-making within their teams or networks.

What will I learn?

Learn how to guide group processes that build trust, resolves conflict, and drives co-creation in any conservation context.

You will learn how to:

• Approach facilitation with neutrality, process authority, and the confidence to embrace complexity.
• Prepare sessions effectively by understanding context, participant dynamics, and group objectives.
• Build the trust and psychological safety that allow groups to engage openly and honestly.
• Create a collaborative environment with clear ground rules and inclusive participation.
• Develop shared understanding across groups with different knowledge, priorities, and histories.
• Prevent and resolve conflict by creating dialogue space and finding mutual interests.
• Guide groups through problem-solving, idea generation, and priority-setting.
• Manage decision-making processes and document agreements that stick.

What will my learning experience be like?

WildTeam courses are delivered online and on demand, so you can study in your own time and at your own pace.

You will work through practical course materials, activities, and assessments designed to help you build skills you can apply in real conservation work. Once you have completed the course and passed the required exams, you will receive a certificate to recognise your achievement.

The course contains 18 video lessons, 21 exercises, quizzes and a final exam. We estimate the course will take 9 hours to complete.

Where can I find our more?

To find out more and sign up, click the button below.

Who is providing this training?

WildTeam UK is a not-for-profit charity that designs and delivers training in key skills that help conservationists increase their impact. To date, we have trained over 5,000 conservationists from 118 countries.

How much is the course?

Our courses cost £190 when purchased individually. Alternatively, you can join as an annual member for £290, giving you access to all WildTeam training courses at better value, if you plan to take more than one course.

What do people say about the training?

“Field projects lead by Bristol Zoological Society aim to increase their conservation impact and thanks to WildTeam’s great training, we will achieve that!” Daphne Kerhoas, Higher Education and Conservation Manager, Bristol Zoological Society

“It was a wonderful opportunity and our team is keen to apply all lessons learned towards conducting our work efficiently.” Amanda Shia Kang Ping, Research Officer, HUTAN - Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme

“I hope to use these skills to help improve efficiency, communication and overall productivity here at the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife.” Jeremy Phan, Director, Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife