From the Blue Community Environmental Defenders, Uganda:
From June to July 2026, Environmental Defenders had the privilege of hosting students from the Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University, for a two-month internship.
The internship provided an opportunity for the students to move beyond the classroom and engage directly with the realities of environmental conservation and community-based natural resource management.
Throughout their placement, the students gained hands-on experience in biodiversity conservation, environmental management, nursery management, field data collection, plant identification, environmental monitoring and community-based conservation.
For us at Environmental Defenders, internships are more than just fulfilling academic requirements. They are an opportunity to mentor, expose, and equip young people with practical skills and experiences that can shape the future of conservation.
The environmental challenges we face today require a new generation of professionals who understand not only the science, but also the people, communities and landscapes at the heart of conservation.
We are proud to have played a small part in that journey.
A big thank you to the students for their enthusiasm, curiosity and commitment throughout the two months, and to Makerere University for strengthening the bridge between academic learning and practical conservation.
The future of conservation depends on what we invest in today and that includes investing in young people.
We extend our special appreciation to Dr. Samuel Ojelel the students’ academic supervisor from the Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Makerere University.
