Mammals
Birds
Amphibians
Reptiles
40 years of Conservation Training at Durrell’s Academy
5 October 2024
Officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal on 5 October 1984, Durrell Conservation Academy celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
Gerald Durrell was enthusiastic about training and education and established Durrell Conservation Academy, then called the International Training Centre, to unite the theoretical and practical disciplines of conservation.
Our courses draw upon the Trust’s knowledge and expertise in population monitoring and species management in the wild, the role of captive breeding and zoos, and the valuable outcomes achieved by blending the two. Trainees can come from all over the world, although we ensure an ongoing connection with Durrell’s priority regions or species. We also train early-career individuals, university students and career switchers looking to become conservationists.
Much of this training is made possible by the incredible generosity of our supporters. Their donations enable us to offer scholarships that cover most of the training costs and make our training accessible to those who need it most.
1959
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust was established by author and conservationist Gerald Durrell.
1977
The Academy began training people long before its official opening. Yousouf Mungroo was the first student, travelling from Mauritius to Jersey in 1977. Yousouf went on to become Mauritius’s first Director of the National Parks Conservation Service and is one of many alumni achieving highly impactful conservation careers.
1984
The official opening of “The International Training Centre for the Conservation and Captive Breeding of Endangered Species” opened by HRH The Princess Royal.
Our Jersey headquarters hosts a range of courses and is home to our award-winning Durrell Endangered Species Management (DESMAN) course, which gives professional conservationists extra skills to help maximise the effectiveness of their projects.
2012
The centre was renamed “Durrell Conservation Academy” after Gerald Durrell.
2013
A second training base was established in Mauritius, where we now hold a Mauritius Island Restorations Internship programme in collaboration with the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation. The programme aims to provide early-career conservation biologists with the skills and knowledge required to restore island ecosystems while working alongside Durrell’s Island Restoration team.
2020
A third training base was established in Madagascar, where we focus on training Protected Area Managers. Currently, there are 123 Protected Areas in Madagascar, but the individuals managing these fragile ecosystems often need more training or experience, so we are working to address this.
2024
This year, we are celebrating 40 years of the Academy, in which time we have trained over 7,000 students from more than 150 countries.