The new fellowship brings together 17 outstanding conservation leaders from eight of the Western Indian Ocean’s leading national and local organisations. The first cohort includes the leaders and deputies of COMRED (Coastal and Marine Resources Development), Dahari, Kwetu Training Center for Sustainable Development, Local Ocean Conservation, Mwambao, Northern Rangelands Trust, Adeso, and Sea Sense. All participating organisations went through a rigorous recruitment process and were selected based on key characteristics: they must put communities first, be agile and responsive with a full-time presence on the ground, and have a long term commitment to remain there.