Stephen Awoyemi
Project Development Officer

My interest in environmental conservation stem from a course sponsored by the Tropical Biology Association ( http://www.tropical-biology.org ) set in the East Usambara Mountains Tanzania and held in 2002. The exposure to current topics in tropical ecology and conservation, knowledge of the precarious situation of biodiversity, intimacy with nature, a feel of real life issues pertaining to conservation, intercultural exchange and the prestige of a noble cause were all pivotal in causing me to make a personal commitment to conservation biology.
Working with the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) ( http://www.conbio.org ), an international conservation organization of over 13,000 members has had the greatest impact in my life as an aspiring professional. I have worked as a volunteer in several capacities since 2003 with the SCB and Tropical Conservancy ( http://www.tc-biodiversity.org ). In the process I have developed strong leadership qualities and realized a platform for actualizing my life goal. My life goal is to serve Humanity on a global scale; with my identity, unique contribution capacity and opportunities. I believe strongly in women empowerment and am a product of their empathy, connection, benevolence and mentorship in my growth as an individual and aspiring professional.

Keywords/ professional interest: Tropical ecology and conservation, environment
African country of interest: The entire continent!
Home country: Nigeria

Telephone: +234-8028928139
Email: Click to email Stephen.
Web site/s: http://www.tc-biodiversity.org

Phoebe Barnard
Member at Large (Founding Chair)

Phoebe is one of the "mother hens" and a former chair of the YWCB, still shepherding the group when she can. Although trained as a behavioral/evolutionary ecologist working on birds, much of her career has been in conservation biology, policy and strategic planning. She is a senior scientist in the Global Change & Biodiversity Programme at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, working on the vulnerability and adaptation of African birds and other animals to environmental change.   Before this, she founded and ran the Namibian national biodiversity and climate change programmes, and was scientific coordinator for the Global Invasive Species Programme. Her interests include the roles of human behavioural change, scientific networks, long-term environmental observatories, and young scientists in conservation biology.

Keywords/ professional interest: biodiversity, vulnerability, environmental change, birds, climate change
African country of interest: continent-wide, especially Namibia and South Africa
Home country: Namibia and South Africa

Telephone: +27 21 799 8722
Email: Click here to email Phoebe.
Web site/s: www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/docs/phoebe.html and www.sanbi.org/frames/researchfram.htm

BABALOLA Folaranmi Dapo
Membership Coordinator

Having a background of Forest Resources Management, Fola's zeal for conservation was crystallized after attending the field course of Tropical Biology Association (TBA) at Uganda in 2003. He is an amiable person with great passion to foster bilateral sharing and exchange of ideas, experiences and knowledge with like-minded biologists around the world. This prompts his desire – without gender barrier - to be part of the pioneer Executives of YWCB in 2004.

Fola is currently undergoing his PhD programme at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Funded by the African Forestry Research Network (AFORNET), he has completed his data collection and writing his thesis on a project titled “Socio-economic potential of Non-timber Forest Products in Southwestern Nigeria ”. He is a recipient of various Scholarships, Fellowships and Research grants some of which include Postgraduate Fellowship of International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Japan; African Network for Agroforestry Education (ANAFE), Kenya; ZARD Scholarship for the Best M. Sc. Student, Nigeria; Earthwatch African Fellowship to attend restoration of Kenya mangrove project, Gazi bay; and European Community, British Ecological Society & BAT Biodiversity Partnership Scholarship. He is currently one of the Africa Ambassadors for Social Science Working Group (SSWG) of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) under the Christiansen Fund.

Although still in search of lecturing appointment, Fola is currently a Research Assistant and Managing Editor of a Journal, both at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has personally conducted and completed over 5 researches and partook in national and international researches. He has also published 12 articles in peer reviewed Scientific Journals and Proceedings; among other articles in press and under review. He serves as Executives and members of over 10 international and local conservation organizations and engages in various voluntary conservation activities. His hobbies are bird watching and mentoring of up-coming conservationists.

Specialisation : Sustainable forest management and restoration; Non-timber Forest Products; Agroforestry; Forest Economics and policy; Biodiversity Conservation; Forest inventory and mensuration.

African country of interest : Mostly East Africa / Cameroon
Home country: Nigeria

Email: Click here to email Fola.
Telephone: +234-8025487802

Alice Hurlbatt
Member at Large

A born and bred Zimbabwean, Alice has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Western Australia , and Honours in Marine Science from James Cook University , ( Queensland , Australia ).  From volunteering on various projects including dolphin surveys in far north Queensland , sea turtle nesting projects off the northeast coast of Australia and sea turtle foraging projects in Uruguay , Alice 's love of the marine environment led her to work with the Western Rock Lobster Council, an association of rock lobster fishermen in Western Australia .  With a strong interest in conservation of the marine environment coupled with sustainable use of the environment and natural resources along with a love of nature and the natural environment, Alice is keen to assist others to achieve their goals in the challenging and changing field of conservation biology.

Keywords/ professional interest : sustainability, marine science, biology, sea turtles, community involvement
African country of interest : Zimbabwe and coastal Africa .
Home country : Australia

Telephone : +61 416 257 197

Email: Click to email Alice.

Patience Mayaki
Project Manager

A Nigerian by nationality, Patience is a First Class Honors graduate student from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She also has to her credit a professional qualification in Banking and Finance and is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). Prior to her present endeavor, Patience has had the privilege to work in one of the world's leading financial institutions, Citibank. Her passion for conservation and sustainable development in the area of renewable energy has seen her participate in field expeditions, community projects and academic conferences across Africa, Europe and Latin America .

Patience recently concluded a double degree Masters programme in European Forestry ( Finland ) and Forest and Nature Conservation ( Netherlands ) under the European Union Erasmus Mundus Scholarship. She now pursues a postgraduate programme in Business Administration (MBA) at the TiasNimbas Business School ( Netherlands ) and Bradford Graduate School of Management ( United Kingdom ) under a Fentener Vlissengen fellowship for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development. She is also at present the North African regional representative for the International Forestry Students Association (IFSA), headquartered in Freiburg , Germany .

Naturally, her enthusiasm to see that young African women conservationists have the right platform to develop their potentials drives her commitment as first the Funding Database Manager and now as Project Manager for the Young Women Conservation Biologists group.

Keywords/professional interest: Renewable Energy Finance & Policy
African Country of Interest: Botswana
Home Country: Nigeria

Email: Patience Mayaki
Telephone:  +31 (0) 614 323 548       

Camille Rebello
Member at Large

Camille has worked on numerous environmental projects worldwide - mapping wildlife corridors in Belize, turtle conservation in Costa Rica, research analysis for GEF in East Africa, running a rainforest biodiversity monitoring and conservation project in the Philippines and working on the rehabilitation of abandoned limestone quarries in Kenya. Since starting at Yale?s school of Forestry and Environmental Science Camille has been working with the Permanent Mission of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations - a position that has exposed her to numerous global environmental issues from a political perspective.

Keywords/ professional interest: Payments for ecosystem services, tropical forestry, ecosystems and biodiversity, global environmental change, conservation finance, Africa, Asia Pacific
African country of interest: East Africa
Home country: Kenya

Telephone: + 1 646 709 2818
Email: Click here to email Camille.

Bansi Shah
Chair

Bansi has a degree in Zoology from the University of Sydney in Australia.  She has a keen interest in reptiles and particularly behavioural interactions.  She has conducted research and conservation projects; most recently on the endangered Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo, endemic to Western Australia.  The project resulted in management recommendations to the State and Federal governments to assist with conservation of the species.  Over the years, Bansi has participated in many research & conservation projects ranging from studies on forestry practices and fauna surveys to endangered marine flatback turtles and the Australian platypus.

She also has a strong interest in issues surrounding climate change, and was personally trained by Al Gore to give his Climate Change presentation as featured in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth.  Bansi is now involved in a number of conservation projects in Australia and Africa.  She also runs an Ecotourism business called Conservation Safaris, and is involved in climate change issues such as carbon sequestration in Africa.

Keywords/ professional interest: biodiversity, climate change, reptiles, carbon offsets, grassroots & community-based conservation
African country of interest: All of Africa, especially East Africa – Tanzania, Kenya
Home country: Australia

Tel: + 61 417 685 505
Email: Email Bansi
Web site/s: www.CSWildlifeFund.org, www.ConservationSafaris.com

Mahlet Shebabaw
Secretary

I am a young Ethiopian lady. Studied Applied Biology at Addis Ababa University and continued for a master degree in Environmental Management at the University of the Free State in South Africa . So far I had limited exposure to work in the field of my study but I had been part of an Earthwatch fellowship that took place in Malawi thanks to the YWCB.

I am currently busy with my thesis which focuses on community perception towards resource use and management of one of Ethiopia 's national parks in the Rift Valley region.

Area of Interest: Ethiopian Rift Valley system and the entire Africa

Home Country: Ethiopia

Email: Email Mahlet here or her secondary account here

Cell: +27760239331

Phillista Malaki
Resource Manager

I have a Bsc Degree in Natural Resource Management from Egerton University Kenya . My passion for Biodiversity Conservation led to a Tropical Biology Association (2001) scholarship to attend the Tropical Ecology field course at Kibale Forest , Uganda .  This field exposure further inspired me into conservation work. I later joined the National Museums of Kenya where I volunteered in the Ornithology Section before I got My Masters Scholarship to study in Addis Ababa Ethiopia (2002-2004) where I took a course in Dryland Biodiversity. It's through my massive scientific contribution that I later got employed by the National Museums of Kenya as Research Scientist (Ornithologist) to date. My contribution to biodiversity conservation amongst many others includes the development of Ecological Monitoring Tools for Mt Elgon ecosystem, Ecological Database for the purposes of monitoring the biodiversity of the fragile ecosystem, a number of biodiversity surveys for other habitats and species in Kenya and several studies on wetlands, dry savanna, forests and grassland bird surveys.

My work has been presented in a number of conferences both local and international ( Germany , South Africa , Uganda , and Ethiopia ). Most of my work has been possible under grants and fellowships some of which include Conservation Leadership Program, British Ornithology Union, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( RSPB)Tropical Biology Association; Earthwatch African Scholarship ( 2007) to join other researchers on the study of the rift valley lakes]; Research Program on Dry land Biodiversity ( RPSUD) Masters scholarship ( 2002). I currently co-ordinate an online ( www.worldbirds.org/Kenya ) Bird database for collection of bird observations across the country. I still look forward to furthering my studies through PhD especially on land use and how modernization especially in Agricultural Landscapes is affecting biodiversity.

Keywords/ professional interest: biodiversity conservation, ornithology,

African country of interest: Entire Continent

Home country: Kenya

Tel:  + 254 020 3742131/4 Ext 2331 

Email: Email Phillista