René Lombard

René Lombard moved to Canada from South Africa in 2019 and now calls Prince Edward Island home, where she is based for her animal advocacy work. While her current efforts are focused on PEI, her long-term goal is to expand this work across Atlantic Canada.

René's formal education is in Chemical Engineering and Engineering Management, and she has worked as an engineer for more than 15 years. Her professional background informs her approach to advocacy, which is strategic, structured, and focused on achieving measurable, long-term outcomes.

Her commitment to animals began in childhood and evolved into a determination to challenge systems that permit animal harm. After learning that commercial trapping and snaring remain legal in Canada, René launched a grassroots campaign for legislative reform in Prince Edward Island. Over the past two years, this work contributed to the first province-wide ban on the use of snares in Canada, along with other meaningful policy improvements. The campaign has also helped shift public discourse around trapping, moving the conversation beyond the trapping community and into the broader public sphere, where opposition to the practice remains strong despite its historical and cultural roots.

Today, René focuses on public education around wildlife coexistence and supports other grassroots organizations seeking to engage with government and advocate for stronger animal protection laws and policies..

Facebook

Session: Wildlife Protection and Regulatory Reform: Pathways to Legal Change