Legacy of Conservation International Board Emeritus Henry Arnhold
To honor the life-long dedication of Henry Arnhold to peace, human rights and conservation, Conservation International established the Arnhold Distinguished Fellowship Program. This unique fellowship program enlists visionaries and leaders to elevate the climate and conservation dialogue to the highest levels of government and industry, helping to create the political space for diplomacy and bold action on some of the most pressing challenges of our times.
Among Conservation International’s most dedicated and beloved Board members, Henry Arnhold understood that positive change comes through decisive leadership, action and collaboration. Despite facing formidable odds, and persecution from Nazi rule in his native Germany, Henry never lost faith in humanity. He always looked toward the future, and continually inspired Conservation International to pursue its vision of a peaceful and prosperous society where communities thrive with nature.
It is with this in mind that the Arnhold Distinguished Fellowship Program was developed, paying tribute to a remarkable man and furthering his dreams of a peaceful and balanced world.
About the Arnhold Distinguished Fellowship
At this critical moment in time, when the world is in desperate need of visionary leadership to further peace and protection of the environment, the Arnhold Distinguished Fellowship Program offers select world leaders a platform to instigate and advocate for policies and practices that benefit nations, races and all people with the protection of nature as a common unifier.
Contact information
Kelsey Rosenbaum, Senior Director, Global Fellowship Program
krosenbaum@conservation.org
Building on a successful Conservation International Fellowship program featuring Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and H.E. Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati, Conservation International officially launched the Arnhold Distinguished Fellowship Program in late 2018. Each Fellow is asked to serve a two-year term.
We invited H.E. Ian Khama, former President of Botswana, and H.E. Ólafur Grimsson, former President of Iceland, as our two first Arnhold Distinguished Fellows to bring forward their prominent voices in support of shared conservation priorities and to pursue new directions for impact. They are joined by former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action Mark Carney, Conservation Intenational Chief Scientist Johan Rockström and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Distinguished Fellows
Dame Jacinda Ardern
The Right Honorable Dame Jacinda Ardern has partnered with Conservation International to focus on addressing the most pressing issues affecting the Pacific and Antarctica. While her career in public service spans leadership roles with the country’s Labour Party and various ministerial positions, Ardern is best known for her service as prime minister of New Zealand-Aotearoa from 2017 to 2023. She is a passionate advocate on climate action and a board member of The Earthshot Prize, focusing on scaling up innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. Ardern also holds an honorary doctorate from Harvard University.
Monica Medina
Former Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina has joined Conservation International as an Arnhold Distinguished Fellow to advance the organization’s continued commitment to protecting and conserving the world’s oceans. Medina, who previously served as CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, will focus on supporting the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act, high-integrity carbon markets, climate and nature-based solutions, and biodiversity finance, among other institutional priorities. Medina is also known for her leadership positions at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense — as well as founding “Our Daily Planet,” an environmental newsletter. She will continue her career-long focus on policy and advocacy related to climate change, biodiversity loss, oceans and plastic pollution.
Dr. Johan Rockström
Dr. Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, has joined Conservation International as Chief Scientist and Arnhold Distinguished Fellow to accelerate collaboration on science-based solutions to fight climate change and biodiversity loss. Rockström is internationally recognized for his commitment to strengthening political support for natural climate solutions and advancing research on the critical importance of biosphere stewardship for climate stability. He is a professor in Earth system science at the University of Potsdam, a member of the European Commission expert group “Mission Board for Adaptation to Climate Change” and chair of the Earth Commission.
Mark Carney
Mark Carney, COP26 Finance Adviser to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Special Envoy for Climate Action, has partnered with Conservation International to accelerate climate action and elevate the potential of carbon markets to catalyze a net zero economic path. Carney’s leadership as former Governor of the Bank of England, his long career in the finance sector, including with Goldman Sachs, and his resolve to integrate climate risks and opportunities into financial decision-making will help leverage private sector support for nature-based solutions as part of the transition to a nature-positive economy.
President Juan Manuel Santos
Former President Juan Manuel Santos partnered with Conservation International to advance our shared priorities in support of natural solutions to climate change, supporting indigenous peoples and peace building. President Santos builds on years of leadership forging peace and reconciliation, driving the international agenda to develop the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and establishing large-scale protected areas and Colombia’s unique national carbon tax. As president of Colombia from 2010 to 2018, he furthered ambitious environmental policies to protect the country’s biodiversity and to fight climate change. In 2016, President Santos was the sole recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for ending Colombia’s more than 50-year-long civil war.
President Ian Khama
President Khama has made tangible progress on policies related to wildlife protection, sustainable tourism and natural capital accounting. Leveraging his reputation and expertise in both Africa and Europe, in the short time he has served as a fellow, he has expanded the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa (GDSA) — designed to deliver long-term sustainability in one of the poorest, yet resource-rich, areas of the world — to 13 countries including Zimbabwe and Angola. He has also further influenced the leadership in Angola and Namibia to partner with Conservation International on a new Okavango Basin Conservation and Sustainable Tourism Initiative.
President Ólafur Grimsson
Ólafur Grimsson has helped Conservation International make measurable gains in influencing the introduction and adoption of first-in-class sustainable fisheries innovations and policies among key world leaders. At his annual Arctic Assembly Forum, President Grimsson partnered with Conservation International to launch a successful fisheries exchange with Pacific Island leaders and fisheries experts, bringing in key private sector partners resulting in a partnership between Conservation International and the government of Iceland to look at sustainable livelihoods and fisheries for the Pacific. With more than 60 percent of the world’s tuna catch originating from the Pacific Islands, the value and potential for this model is enormous.