Where We Left Off 

For the inaugural “Women in Conservation Technology” programme in 2022, 15 female early career Kenyan conservationists were selected out of nearly 200 applicants to participate in our six-month training and empowerment course. Through two in-person workshops and four sessions of virtual programming, our participants received an immersive introduction to a wide range of key conservation technology tools, supplemented with mentoring from established female leaders in the Kenyan conservation technology field. During and after the program, we provided targeted technical and professional development support to aid participants as they applied the information learned to their ongoing conservation work.  

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Boosted by support from a Women in Conservation Technology seed grant, offered with the support of our partners Arm, our participants have been working on projects ranging from applying remote sensing data to study land-use change, track endangered bird populations, and monitor endangered species, to piloting the use of novel underwater camera traps to monitor fish biodiversity. Participants built on relationships with our instructors, forming collaborations which have inspired the creation of hackathons and Data Science Africa programming that will foster critical relationships between technologists and conservationists. 

The cohort as a whole has been working to use technology to protect species ranging from endangered primates to rhinoceros, engaging in participatory and citizen science, and having impact in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Several of these projects are forming the background of graduate theses: since the completion of the workshop, a number of our participants have been accepted to graduate programs where they will be using conservation tech tools are as a core component of their research.  

The Journey So Far in their Own Words 

We invite you to join us to reflect on the extraordinary progress each of our Kenyan cohort members has made since 2022 and follow along on their dynamic conservation tech career journeys, which you can access as a collection here available to read on WILDLABS.

Explore their exciting blog posts below:

• Naomi Kung'u | Enhancing Animal Welfare Through Data-Driven Insights
• Sherril Phyllis | What happened to Science During Covid-19 Pandemic?
• Ann Wambui | Tracking the Strides: Reticulated Giraffe in Mugie Conservancy
• Christine Mwaniki | Creating Awareness on Bushmeat Offences Using Local Barazas and SMS
• Cynthia Gichimu | Grey Crowned Cranes Census, Kenya 2023
• Mary Waithira | Adaptable Defenses: How Yellow Fever Trees (Acacia Xanthopthloea) Respond to Pressure from Herbivores
• Zipporah Mureithi | Game Changing Research Equipment for Masters Project
• Susana Wachia Kihia | Researching Seagrass Habitats Along the Kenyan Coast
• Rose Hakofa Abae | Citizen Science as a Tool to Enhance Biodiversity Conservation in the Tana River Primate National Reserve (TRPNR)
• Rita Orahle | Researching on the Electric Rhino Fence Effects on other Wildlife Species in Loisaba Conservancy 
• Eunice Kamau | Documenting the birds of Lewa-Borana Landscape 
• Janet Kavutha | Awarded the Prestigious Chevening Award to Study MSc Conservation Biology
• Consolata Gitau | Volunteering at Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO)