The module takes place on Vilm island from 16 - 27 March, 2026.
Decision making for biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resources management needs to be supported by information on the distribution, trends and drivers of biodiversity. However, many conservation professionals find it difficult to find this information, since it is often outdated, monitoring systems are non-functional, and available data are stored in inaccessible formats and not used effectively for decision making and communication. This module of the programme supports the participants to develop solutions to overcome these challenges.

A strong baseline knowledge about biodiversity and ecosystems, triggers and root causes of biodiversity loss, the ability to monitor, recognize and communicate relevant changes in the status of biodiversity and to plan strategic conservation responses are prerequisites for effective conservation activities. While all fellows have basic and often extensive conservation knowledge, this module familiarizes them with current international best practice methods and tools.

In the first module participants have the opportunity to

• Acquire or refresh their baseline knowledge about basic terms and concepts of biodiversity and ecosystems, their distribution, as well as threats to biodiversity and ecosystems including their root causes.
• Place the biodiversity concept of their own field of work into a global context and to identify and close knowledge gaps.
• Develop their skills in the assessment (e.g. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, key biodiversity areas, important plant areas, important bird areas etc., ecosystem-based site prioritization schemes) and monitoring of biodiversity including its distribution, trends and influencing factors.
• Familiarize themselves with successful national biodiversity monitoring systems (e.g. OECD DPSIR model) and explore the uses of biodiversity information.
• Learn and/or improve their use of practical tools, databases and methods for researching and managing information in support of conservation programmes.
• Get to know strategic conservation planning and adaptive management with the Conservation Standards and MIRADI.
• Deepen their understanding of communication as a strategic management area and develop their media and presentation skills.
• Take a final decision about the theme and work plan of their transfer projects and prepare a first outline of their contents.

Excursion

An excursion will lead the fellows to the official opening of the programme at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUKN) in Berlin and on questions of biodiversity monitoring to Rügen island.

The module takes place on Vilm island from 31 August - 11 September, 2026.
Habitat loss and degradation are major causes of biodiversity loss. Habitat conservation within protected areas and spatial planning for sustainable use of an entire landscape are therefore key approaches which conservation professionals need to know to counteract the loss of biodiversity. This module will address this need by dealing with conservation management in protected areas and beyond, integrated land use planning, ecological networks, and also leadership skills.

The module familiarizes the participants with international standards for protected areas. As the designation of protected areas is often only a first step, but not in itself sufficient to effectively conserve biodiversity, the group will take a closer look at governance and stakeholder participation as important emerging themes in the protected area field. Protected areas need to be joined into wider protected area systems and ecological networks in order to conserve viable populations of target species, safeguard ecosystem services, and ensure resilience to local disturbances and global environmental shifts. In other words, conservationists need to look beyond individual protected areas, and ultimately beyond protected areas in general, in order to take effective conservation action.

During the third module participants have the opportunity to

• Familiarize themselves with basic terms, concepts and international best practice tools for the design, planning and participatory management of protected areas and national protected area systems.
• Get to know approaches for management planning of protected areas using the IUCN management planning guidelines.
• Familiarize themselves with protected area governance and participation of stakeholders in protected area management.
• Receive an introduction to key tools, such as METT and RAPPAM, for assessing management effectiveness of protected areas.
• Get acquainted with approaches and methods to plan protected area systems and ecological networks in a systematic way, when dealing with national protected area system design, planning and development.
• Acquire knowledge about the use of spatial planning tools to support sustainable landscape management and biodiversity conservation between protected areas, and throughout the entire landscape.
• Practice the application of international best practice tools to their working environments and identify opportunities for the application of protected area and spatial planning tools in their home countries.
• Understand the importance of leadership in conservation and improve their leadership skills. Learn and practice multilateral negotiations and decision making on shared resources.
• Continue developing and improving their transfer projects, based on feedback to the work plans already elaborated and exchange with other fellows.

Excursion

During this module, fellows will visit the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, which is also part of a trans-boundary protected area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, a Ramsar site, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and a Marine Protected Area. The support of the administration of the National Park to the programme is gratefully acknowledged. An additional shorter excursion will take the participants to South East Rugen Biosphere Reserve.

The module takes place on Vilm island from 8 - 19 March, 2027.
Many root causes of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are economic in nature. At the same time, there is a growing understanding that biodiversity and ecosystems underpin economic development in a multitude of ways, and that there is an urgent need to value them accordingly. 

In addition, conservation efforts are often severely constrained by the available financial resources. The module will introduce a number of innovative financing instruments and assist the fellows in exploring their applicability and potential benefits. This will be complemented by a practical training on fundraising and proposal writing.

During the second module participants have the opportunity to

• Acquire knowledge about economic root causes of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.
• Develop their understanding of the economic dimensions of biodiversity conservation and the management of natural resources.
• Familiarize themselves with the findings of the study series The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).
• Analyse the relationship between biodiversity conservation, rural livelihoods and  sustainable regional development.
• Get to know the most important financing instruments for nature conservation and explore their applicability in their home countries.
• Improve their skills in the areas of fundraising, proposal development and technical writing for conservation projects.

The module takes place on Vilm island from 6-17 September, 2027.
Biodiversity and ecosystems are typically common goods, and are hence critically affected by decisions – on natural resource use, land use, infrastructure development etc. – that are taken independently by a wide range of actors throughout society. Therefore, conservation leaders need to understand by which actors, through which institutional setups and according to which rules relevant decisions are taken and turned into policy. They also need to be aware of how these structures and processes can be influenced to maximize conservation benefits. In order to develop this understanding and the corresponding skills, the module will address relevant governance actors, structures and processes at the local, national and global level.

An important driver of national policy development of high interest to countries of the programme region are Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This international governance framework for biodiversity and particularly the CBD with its structure, function, national implementation and relationships with other MEAs will be explained and discussed.

During the fourth module participants have the opportunity to

• Explore the relevance of governance and policy to the practice of biodiversity conservation and natural resources management at the local, national and international level.
• Address the role and entry-points of civil society in biodiversity governance and policy.
• Get to know Community Based Natural Resource Governance at the local level, to support sustainable natural resources management, and discuss their potential applicability to their region.
• Familiarize themselves with current examples of legal reform processes in natural resource governance on the national level in their region
• Learn about the role of NGOs and Academia in the governance of ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Collect information about Biodiversity-related Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and their national implementation, with a particular focus on the Convention on Biological Diversity and critically appreciate the international governance framework on biodiversity and natural resources.
• Present the outcomes of their transfer projects and look into alumni activities of the programme.

As part of the programme, participants will develop a transfer project with relevance to the work of their home institution. The transfer project, once implemented, is expected to improve the effectiveness of their organisation or project. It should address a technical or management challenge that the home institution is facing and suggest solutions or innovative ways how to overcome this. Participants will receive assistance and technical input by trainers and mentors throughout the entire elaboration process.

During intervals between the modules, participants will be expected to work on their transfer projects and fulfil additional assignments such as e-learning units and work on case studies. The work on transfer projects and additional assignments will require approximately 350 hours of work by participants in between the modules in total.

The KTF is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation,Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through it`s Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP).

Since 2000, the AAP has supported the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and other countries neighbouring the European Union in projects aiming at environmental protection. The purpose of the programme is the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experience in order to strengthen environmental administration bodies, raise environmental standards and to prepare for environmental investments.

The IUCN helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice.

IUCN is the world's oldest and largest global environmental network - a democratic membership union with more than 1,400 government and NGO member organizations, and some 15,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is the first global agreement to cover all aspects of biological diversity: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) assists member governments in the implementation of the various programmes of work, coordinates with other international organizations and collects and disseminates information.

As an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.

The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world's foremost intergovernmental environmental organization, and WCMC, a UK-based charity. UNEP-WCMC is UNEP's specialist biodiversity assessment arm, and the Centre for UNEP's collaboration with WCMC 2000.The Centre's goal is to provide authoritative, relevant and timely information for countries, multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), organizations and companies to use in the development and implementation of their policies and decisions.