From Gucci Executive to Tiger Rescuer: Meet 9 Conservationists

Quick Take

One conservationist on this list started her career at Gucci, and scientists laughed at her ideas before the whole world adopted them. Meet Li Quan →
A woman who cashed in her life savings for a single trip to Africa ended up spending 20 years there, and her killer was never found. Read Fossey's story →
The world's most committed conservationist is not who you might expect, and finding out who it is might change how you think about environmental impact. See who ranks #1 →
A teenager with a handmade sign sparked a global movement, and the lengths she went to just to attend one meeting are almost unbelievable. Discover Thunberg's journey →

Can you name nine famous conservationists? Don’t worry! The AZ Animal team is here to help you out. Let the countdown begin!

In the past century or so, human society has advanced and proliferated so much that it has begun to interfere with natural habitats. Humans don’t just take up a lot of space. We also tend to disrupt the environment for resources that keep society up and running.

As a result, some animal species have become extinct or endangered. There are even entire habitats on the brink of collapse. Therefore, the planet’s well-being depends on brave humans making a change. Fortunately, a number of admirable conservationists have stepped up to advocate for habitats and animals at risk. Now, let’s take a moment to acknowledge their hard work.

#9 Famous Conservationists: Li Quan

Famous Conservationists: Founder of Save China's Tiger, Li Quan — *Li Quan is a conservationist who is well-known for her rewilding technique.*
©Save China's Tiger / CC BY-SA 2.5 – Original / License

London-dwelling, Beijing-born Li Quan is a well-known conservationist who developed the process of rewilding. Quan believes animals thrive when left alone in ideal habitats. To that end, she works to create set-it-and-forget-it sanctuaries introducing predators and keystone species to protected wildlife regions. The process allows animals born into captivity to develop the skills they need to survive in the wild. That way, they can pass on those skills to the next generation, which can then be “rewilded.”

Scientists initially scoffed at Quan’s ideas. But she persevered and successfully rewilded South China tigers into a South African reserve. Today, conservation groups embrace Quan’s techniques, and her rewilding strategy is used around the world.

Today, Li Quan works with several animal protection groups, including China Tiger Revival. She has done much to improve the conservation status of big cats. She has also authored two books: “Rewilded, Saving the South China Tiger” and “Diary of a South China Tiger.”

Interestingly, Quan wasn’t always a conservationist. Initially, the Wharton Business School alum started her career at Gucci before changing her life trajectory.

In 2014, she became embroiled in a scandal with her husband while in divorce court, where she claimed that they used some of the funds they raised for a tiger charity for personal expenses. It was determined that her testimony on this front was unreliable, as she had been removed as the head of that charity, and was out for revenge. Though this chapter in her life was unfortunate, she went on to continue her work, becoming the director of the China Tiger Revival as of 2018.

#8 Famous Conservationists: Myawira Gitaka

An up-and-coming African youth leader, Myawira Gitaka works with kids across the continent on myriad sustainability and conservation projects. Typical of her generation, she is very active online — especially on Twitter.

Gitaka recently established Mushroom Blue, a business that recycles coffee waste into inexpensive but potent fertilizer. She’s also passionate about the conservation status of African wild dogs, an IUCN Endangered species.

#7 Famous Conservationists: Dian Fossey

In 1963, a young occupational therapist from the United States named Dian Fossey took out a loan, cashed in her life savings, and journeyed to Africa for an expedition. While there, she met famous anthropologists Mary and Louis Leakey at Olduvai Gorge and fell in love with the mountain gorillas she encountered in Rwanda and Congo.

Ultimately, Fossey relocated to the continent. With the help of the Leakeys, she established a camp and embarked on a long-term observation of mountain gorillas. The species was in danger of going extinct in the wild.

From then on, Fossey spent nearly 20 years in rural Rwanda studying the animals. Eventually, she became the area’s most aggressive anti-poaching activist after illegal hunters killed her favorite gorilla, Digit. In 1983, Fossey published “Gorillas in the Mist.” The account of her work became a Hollywood blockbuster starring Sigourney Weaver. Tragically, Fossey was murdered at her camp in 1985 — and the culprit remains a mystery.

We should note that Fossey had vocal critics, especially in Rwanda, where many people saw her as a hypocritical colonizer. In most western conservation circles, however, she is widely credited for saving mountain gorillas from extinction.

#6 Famous Conservationists: Gaylord Nelson

Earth Day founder and inspiration for the US Environmental Protection Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act, Gaylord A. Nelson is a famous American conservationist. A lifetime nature lover, Nelson served as Wisconsin’s governor and spent 18 years as a US senator.

During his tenure in Washington, DC, Nelson wrote legislation that created a network of national hiking trails and helped preserve the Appalachian Trail. He also sponsored the Wilderness Act, Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and National Environmental Lakeshore Act.

Over his career, Nelson won the Ansel Adams Conservation Award, UN Environment Programme’s Only One World Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Born in 1916, he passed away in 2005. But the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin memorializes him.

#5 Famous Conservationists: Greta Thunberg

Born Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, the Swedish teenager has proven to the world that effective activism doesn’t have an age requirement. At 15, Thunberg started protesting outside Sweden’s government buildings with a sign that read “School Strike for Climate.” Finally, her one-student protest sparked an international movement, which today goes by Fridays for Future.

In 2019, 16-year-old Greta sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with her father and two experienced skippers on the Malizia II, an eco-friendly 60-foot boat, to speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. She opted for the 15-day water journey instead of a 5-hour flight to reduce her carbon impact.

With her blunt pleas challenging political and corporate leaders to do more, Thunberg has amassed a worldwide following. Since then, she has received a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, and was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2019. Not bad for someone who’s still in high school!

#4 Famous Conservationists: HRH Prince Charles

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales — aka Prince Charles — is heir to the British throne and one of the world’s preeminent conservationists.

He began talking about conservation in the late 1980s. Then, by 2011, the future monarch became president of the World Wildlife Fund’s UK division. In this capacity, Prince Charles has addressed the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress and received several environmental awards, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Medal and Harvard’s Global Environmental Citizen Award.

In addition to organic farming activities at his country estate, Highgrove, the prince works with the Stop Wildlife Crime initiative, Mutton Renaissance Campaign, and the Prince’s May Day Network. He’s also editor-in-chief of RE:TV, an online platform that streams short films focusing on sustainability, climate change, and conservation.

#3 Famous Conservationists: Wangari Maathai

Born in rural Kenya, Wangari Maathai was the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the first woman in eastern Africa to earn her doctorate.

Maathai is best known for her work with the National Council of Women in Kenya, where she introduced community-based tree planting as a means to both reduce poverty and conserve the environment. Eventually, her efforts blossomed into the Green Belt Movement, which has enjoyed great success over three decades.

Sadly, Maathai passed away in 2011 of cancer, but her legacy lives on through the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies out of Nairobi University.

#2 Famous Conservationists: Jane Goodall

Dame Jane Morris Goodall embarked on her primatology study at 26 years old and stayed embedded with jungle chimps for the next 50 years. Now, she is revered as the world’s preeminent expert on chimpanzees.

Winner of the Kyoto Prize, Hubbard Medal, and Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, Goodall is a highly decorated conservationist. She’s also a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, a chivalric order honoring artistic, scientific, and charitable achievements.

In addition to establishing her eponymous institute, which focuses on animal conservation and “worldwide care for our planet,” Goodall has published dozens of books and is the subject of over 40 films.

#1 Famous Conservationists: David Suzuki

The longtime host of the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s “The Nature of Things,” David Suzuki is arguably the world’s most committed conservationist. He became fascinated by nature as a young boy and collected specimens from a swamp near his house.

Then, Suzuki went on to earn his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Chicago and spent nearly four decades teaching at the University of British Columbia. During his professorship, he also hosted several television and radio shows on animals and the environment.

Universally lauded and celebrated, Suzuki has won several prestigious awards, including the UN Environment Programme Medal and the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science. Additionally, the beloved eco-warrior is an Order of Canada inductee who has two schools named after him.

These days, mindful of his carbon footprint, Suzuki sticks to his Canadian stomping grounds. But you can often catch him on radio programs — his preferred medium — waxing poetic about sustainability, climate change, and animal conservation.