Karinne Tennenbaum ’26 Earns Darwin2000 “Darwin Leader” Placement

EEB junior and YEEBUG President Karinne Tennenbaum was selected by Darwin200 as a Darwin Leader in October 2023. Darwin200 is a planetary conservation initiative that aims to change the world for the better.  Darwin Leaders are 200 of the world’s most capable young (18-25 year old) naturalists and conservationists, selected from across 200 countries and states around the world due to their lifetime passion for nature conservation and their efforts, so far, to protect and restore the planet. The aim is to create the future’s environmental decision-makers whose careers will span the next 50 years and positively impact the world. These leaders partner with local conservationists and NGOs to conduct a one-week project in a port along the two-year global voyage.

From January 17-24, 2024, Karinne was in Puerto Williams (Special Expedition - Voyage Leg 9 of 32 to Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Chile). She investigated threats to shorebirds in the Cape Horn region,  a buffer zone at the joining point of the Pacific, Midcontinent, and Atlantic flyways which serves as a vital refuge for both migratory and resident shorebirds. A significant decline in shorebird populations over the last 40 years signals an urgent need for new conservation initiatives. Karinne proposed new conservation strategies tailored to the needs of shorebirds in the region to guide future shorebird research and long-term monitoring. she also directed a three-part documentary series on the project, working alongside fellow Darwin Leader Heather Needham (UK), photographers Giulia Morales and Juliana Deeke (Brazil), and ornithological researchers Carlos Valeris and Juan Rivero.