PhD Nguyen Thi Thu Trang (Trang Nguyen) in her 30s who is the founder of the Vietnam Wildlife Action Center (WildAct Vietnam or WildAct), has won the Study UK Alumni Awards 2023 powered by the British Council in the Science and Sustainability category.

Wildlife conservationist Trang Nguyen (middle) receiving her Princess of Girona Foundation International Award (FPdGi) from members of the Spanish Royal Family at a ceremony in Barcelona, Spain in July 2022.

The British Council has launched the tenth year of a prestigious award celebrating the outstanding achievements of the UK’s international alumni around the world. The Study UK Alumni Awards celebrate the achievements of international students who have studied in the UK and gone on to achieve great things.

Trang has been selected as the global winner as a representative from Viet Nam, and East Asia as a whole, for the Science and Sustainability Category by the global judging panel.  She beat out 1,300 applicants from 114 countries around the world to become one of four global winners of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2023. The awards recognizes her courageous and inspiring work in wildlife conservation.

After earning a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology and conservation at the Oxford Brookes University in the UK, Trang had the opportunity to participate in wildlife conservation projects in such countries as Viet Nam, Madagascar, Borneo, Cambodia, Kenya. and South Africa.

Months of traveling through the forests across Viet Nam to do research on the endangered species of animals listed in the Red Book of Viet Nam inspired her to establish the WildAct when she was just 23 years old.

Trang said that WildAct focuses on providing an in-depth education on wildlife conservation by organizing training courses and specialized workshops in a bid to enable participants to build on the knowledge and skills that will underpin their careers as conservation leaders.

Under the leadership of PhD Trang, WildAct has became the first organization in Viet Nam to implement a program to empower women and promote gender equality with the aim of ensuring a safe working environment for female conservationists. In particular, in April 2021, WildAct organized a training course on preventing sexual harassment in the conservation sector, and this event attracted nearly 80 wildlife conservationists from around the world.

Trang is the founder and Director of Vietnamese NGO WildAct, which aims to empower women and communities to conserve at-risk ecosystems and combat the illegal trade of wildlife products in Viet Nam, among many other activities.

In Viet Nam, WildAct's projects aim to protect plant and animal species and their habitats, while raising awareness among young people and local communities about a safe future in which people and nature live in harmony.

In the third quarter of 2023, WildAct coordinated with the Chu Yang Sin National Park located in Lak and Krong Bong districts, Dak Lak Province to uncover and remove 1,971 illegal traps and 59 illegal hunting camps.

At the same time, Trang’s group took photos and recorded information about 175 species of wild animals discovered while travelling across a 360km- long forest trail.

Trang confided: "Many people may think that we donot find difficult to get food in the mountains or the forest while working there. However, in reality, our work requires us to be ready for action, so we carry dried foods, rice balls, sesame salt, scorched rice and special dry foods. On average, we patrol over dozens of kilometers of forest roads a day in a bid to remove illegal animal traps and hunting tents."

Trang who has more than 16 years of work experience in wildlife conservation and research, said her biggest dream is to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature.

Becoming a global winner for the Science and Sustainability Category of the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards 2023 has opened up opportunities for Trang to connect with talented leaders around the world in the field of nature conservation and sustainable development as she can share and exchange experiences and information about WildAct’s projects with international communities.

“Becoming the winner of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2023 has opened up further opportunities for me to share information about conservation activities with representatives of the British Council and the British Embassy in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Besides, the award winning also helps me increase my self-confidence and feel that my contribution to the conservation sector is worth a lot as it motivates me and recognizes my efforts and dedication. Furthermore, I am happy to know that many people are interested in conservation efforts that protect wildlife, including wild animal and plant populations," Trang remarked.

Trang is a wildlife conservation scientist and environmental activist working in both Asia and Africa to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and consumption. Understanding the importance of education in conservation, Trang established the first-ever diploma course in conservation in Vietnam. In Africa, Trang worked undercover and supported the local authorities in South Africa, Mozambique, Cameroon and Ivory Coast to arrest wildlife traders. Fourteen major traders have been arrested and over three tonnes of wildlife parts seized as a result of this work.

Reporting by HUYNH LE – Translating by H.L