Jamma Conservation & Communities is pleased to announce the selected recipients of our 2026 Human-Centred Conservation (HCC) Storytelling Grants.
This year, we received over 700 applications from storytellers across the world. The volume and quality of submissions reflected a growing global appetite for conservation narratives that are grounded in lived experience, local knowledge, and community leadership. Selecting the final grantees was an incredibly difficult process, and we are grateful to everyone who applied and shared their ideas with us.
The selected grantees represent a diverse range of perspectives, regions, and storytelling approaches, including photography, film, and written narrative. Over the coming months, they will develop their projects with support from Jamma Conservation & Communities, contributing to a growing body of work that reflects the values and principles of Human-Centred Conservation.
We are proud to support this cohort of storytellers and look forward to sharing their work as it unfolds.
Meet the seven grantees.
Name: Ben Buckland
Location: Switzerland, Geneva
Producing: A written article and a short video, with a geographical focus on Gabon
Ben Buckland is a Geneva-based documentary photographer and journalist working on nature conservation, human rights, and humanitarian stories around the world. For this Jamma-supported project, he will follow the Trans-Gabon Railway from the savannah to the coast, documenting how communities and wildlife are navigating a country in the middle of a profound shift from extraction to conservation.
Name: Munira Kaoneka
Location: Tanzania, Zanzibar
Producing: Radio feature, with a geographical focus on Tanzania
Munirah Kaoneka is a storyteller and digital content creator with a science background, passionate about telling human-centered stories through narrative-driven media.
Name: Lucy Purdy
Location: Scotland
Producing: Four written articles, with a geographical focus on Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Congo, Malawi and Ethiopia
Lucy is a special projects editor at Positive News, where we publish rigorous, solutions-oriented journalism. Our series, Portraits of a Shared Land, will bring readers face-to-face with the African changemakers who are redefining conservation from the ground up, to better serve people and nature.
Name: Caroline Chebet
Location: Kenya, Nakuru
Producing: A written article, with a geographical focus on Kenya
Caroline is a Kenyan journalist specialising in the intersection of conservation and science. A recipient of excellence awards in both Biodiversity and Development reporting, I will be documenting how the Ogiek indigenous community of Mt. Elgon, a vital transboundary UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, is merging traditional bylaws with scientific data to create a first-of-its-kind biodiversity database. My work will explore this innovative integration of ancestral knowledge and modern scientific monitoring to secure the future of this critical ecosystem.
Name: Stephen Tsoroti
Location: Zimbabwe, Chitungwiza
Producing: A written article, with a geographical focus on Kenya
Stephen Tsoroti is an award-winning Investigative Journalist from Zimbabwe. His work has been recognised with awards and featured in international publications. He will be exploring the story of human-wildlife conflict and the hidden costs of conservation funding cuts in Zimbabwe.
Name: Temwani Mgunda
Location: Malawi
Producing: A written article, with a geographical focus on Malawi
Temwani Mgunda is a Malawian environmental journalist writing for the UK-based Dialogue Earth. He also teaches science communication at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi. His story aims to provide long-lasting solution to conflicts between conservation efforts and the needs of communities living around some of Malawi’s protected areas.
Name: Luisa von Richthofen
Location: Germany, Berlin
Luisa von Richthofen is a German-French journalist and filmmaker based in Berlin with 8+ years of experience reporting for Deutsche Welle and other international media. She focuses on human rights, migration, and environmental justice, and has reported from across Africa.
Name: Laurence Ivil
Location: Germany, Berlin
Laurence Ivil is Berlin-based multimedia journalist and producer with 10+ years experience directing and producing award-winning media projects and digital experiences across Europe, Africa and the Pacific region. Laurence specialises in ethical co-creation and visual storytelling, covering health, climate justice, and human rights.
Producing: Luisa and Laurence will produce a short documentary, with a geographical focus on Sierra Leone, Kenya and Uganda
