Philipp Henschel, Ph.D.

Philipp Henschel, Ph.D. serves as Panthera’s West and Central Regional Director, leading efforts in this region to secure and restore critical populations of lions, leopards and smaller felids, such as the enigmatic African golden cat, which is endemic to this region. 

Philipp joined Panthera in 2009 after having completed his PhD thesis, which focused on leopard conservation needs in Gabon.

Prior to joining Panthera, Philipp held a long list of positions within the wildlife conservation field, mainly in Central Africa. His conservation career started in 1998 in Gabon, where he is still based today. 

Since joining Panthera, Philipp has been building up local teams and projects across the region, of which is largest and most ambitious are now in Senegal, Gabon, and Congo, with new initiatives also underway in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. 

Over the years, Philipp has contributed to over fifty scientific articles and book chapters.