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Best Field Ranger Modiki Claver

08.01.2025
Winner of 2024 African Conservation Awards

Modiki Claver, the Team Leader of Dzanga Sangha Protected Area’s law enforcement section in CAR,

has risen from starting as a porter in 2010 to becoming the top team leader in the landscape.

 

Leading a team of seven rangers across the Congo Basin, including parts of Noubale-Ndoki National Park and Lobeke National Park, Claver exemplifies leadership by dismantling snares, seizing weapons, and making arrests.

He has significantly contributed to scientific research, including tracking elephant populations, assessing the impact of logging, and monitoring illegal hunting activities. Beyond his law enforcement duties, Claver has fostered strong relationships with local communities and youth, guiding them toward conservation careers. During the 2013 military-political unrest, he demonstrated exceptional courage by covertly tracking rebel movements and providing critical information to protect wildlife.

Known for his field skills, ethical leadership, and commitment to the rights of indigenous people, Claver is an inspiring role model in conservation.

“Since I was a child, I heard my parents say at home that because we lived in DSPA, we had many things that were not available in other places: security, access to healthcare, better education and jobs. I decided that the best thing I could do was to help protect the area and that is why I became a guard.”
Modiki Claver
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