PCGN to host 2026 World Pangolin Day lecture to tackle wildlife trafficking

The Pangolin Conservation Guild Nigeria (PCGN) is set to host the 2026 World Pangolin Day public lecture to protect pangolin against trafficking and mobilise its next generation guardians.

The global theme for 2026, announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pangolin Specialist Group, is “Pangolin Guardians in Action.”

In alignment with this theme, the lecture is designed to catalyse informed, coordinated, and science-driven conservation responses to one of the world’s most trafficked mammals.

The lecture will be held on February 21, 2026, with conservation stakeholders, policymakers, academics, students, NGOs, community leaders, and members of the public in a bold call to action for pangolin protection across Africa.

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The event will spotlight practical strategies for research, rescue, policy engagement, and community collaboration to secure Africa’s pangolin future, with a keynote address to be delivered by Kelsey Prediger, executive director of the Pangolin Conservation & Research Foundation, Namibia.

Renowned for her leadership in pangolin rescue, rehabilitation, ecological research, and community-based conservation, Prediger will speak on ‘Strengthening Africa’s Pangolin Future: Lessons from Research, Rescue, and Community Collaboration.’

The 2026 lecture builds on PCGN’s sustained national leadership in pangolin conservation. Over the years, the Guild has implemented impactful initiatives, including World Pangolin Day campaigns, school conservation clubs, climate-smart education programmes, public lectures, national advocacy engagements, rescue, rehabilitation, and release of pangolins into protected forest areas.

As consistently documented in its annual progress reports, PCGN has strengthened youth engagement, expanded public awareness, and made meaningful contributions to national dialogue on wildlife protection.

Oladipo Omotosho, executive director of PCGN, said the 2025 engagements demonstrated that young people, educators, and communities are ready to lead conservation transformation.

Omotosho said this year’s lecture will further bridge science, policy, and grassroots action, turning awareness into measurable impact.

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Olajumoke Morenikeji, chair of PCGN, reaffirmed the Guild’s commitment to inclusive and sustained conservation leadership, emphasising that protecting pangolins demands long-term collaboration, institutional commitment, and deliberate investment in future conservation champions.

In the lead-up to World Pangolin Day 2026, PCGN conducted targeted conservation outreach in primary schools, educating pupils on wildlife protection and distributing wildlife literature materials.

This initiative was supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), reinforcing the critical link between wildlife crime prevention and conservation education.

The Pangolin Conservation Guild Nigeria (PCGN) is dedicated to safeguarding pangolins and advancing biodiversity conservation through advocacy, research, education, and community engagement.

Through strategic partnerships and science-driven programming, PCGN continues to build a nationally informed, youth-driven, and policy-engaged movement for pangolin protection across Nigeria and beyond.