Africa Region E-mentoring Program
The SCB Africa Region E-mentoring Program is the first virtual mentoring program in conservation biology aimed specifically at African students and early career researchers. The program started in 2007, and has successfully completed five mentoring sessions in 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2014/2015, and 2018/2019. About 80 mentees across all regions in Africa have been mentored by volunteer mentors from different parts of the world. Examples of success stories from this mentoring program include mentees receiving the Rufford Small Grant, completing graduate research theses, and publishing papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Mentees
| Past Mentees | Country | Research Themes |
| Amanda Kgaogelo Maswanganye | South Africa | Entomology, molecular biology, and small mammals |
| Oladokun Yetunde Olasimbo | Nigeria | Agricultural economics |
| Jonas Kambale Nyumu | Democratic Republic of Congo | Bushmeat exploitation, small mammals, biodiversity conservation |
| Alain Senghor Ngute | Cameroon | Ornithology, biodiversity conservation |
| Kolawolé Salako Valére | Benin Republic | Conservation strategies, reserve designs, ecosystem restoration |
| David Amaning Kwarteng | Ghana | Conservation of amphibians and reptiles |
| Evariste Fongnzossie Fedoung | Cameroon | Botany, Forest ecology and management, conservation biology, ethnobotany, ecosystem services |
| Menladi M. Lormie | Liberia | Biomonitoring of wildlife populations |
| Matthew Varney | Liberia | |
| Donatus W. Mbeng | Cameroon | Cameroon biodiversity conservation |
| Samuel Jatto | Nigeria | Forest Economics |
| Mphoeng Ofithile | Bostwana | Large mammals, ungulates |
| Peter Gayflor Mulbah | Liberia | Payments for ecosystem services, ecotourism |
| Rosemary Gbegbaje | Nigeria | Ecological niche modelling, climate change, urban ecology and behavioural ecology |
| Soazara Ranivoarivelo | Madagascar | Protection of reptiles and amphibians in Madagascar |
| Aghah Valery Binda | Cameroon | |
| Anntoliah Chao | Kenya | |
| David Ouma | Kenya | |
| Irene Blondelle | Cameroon | |
| Kenfack Melerine Mabelle Assouna | Cameroon | |
| Emmanuel Akampurira | Uganda | |
| Adedayo David Animasaun | Nigeria | |
| Basem Rabia | Egypt | |
| Anderson Showell | Liberia | |
| Agnes Sirima | Tanzania | |
| Bernard Mung’oma Kuloba | Kenya | |
| Djomo N. Eric | Cameroon | |
| Domoina J. Rakotoson | Madagascar | |
| Eno Nku Manasseh | Cameroon | |
| Etornyo Agbeko | Ghana | |
| Fikirte Gebresenbet Erda | Ethiopia | |
| Keziah Adhiambo | Kenya | |
| Duncan Kimuyi | Kenya | |
| Kwaku Aduse-Poku | Ghana | |
| Martina Hagwet | Tanzania | |
| Nandjui Awo | Côte d’Ivoire | |
| Njoroge Ikonye | Kenya | |
| Ndegwa Scolasticah | Kenya | |
| Winfred Musila | Kenya |
Mentors
Thank you to our mentors for your investment to capacity building in African biodiversity conservation!
| Mentors | Research Interest and Positions |
| Dr. John P. Simaika | Stellenbosch University, South Africa: developing predictive tools for modelling the future development impacts on hydrological ecosystem service provision of coastal ecosystems; member, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Freshwater Conservation Specialist Group |
| Dr. Thomas Breuer | Director of Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo: behavioural ecology and conservation of large mammals, applied ecology and protected area management and conservation education |
| Dr. Yiwei Wang | United States: human wildlife conflict, conservation biology, and environmental education |
| Dr. Devcharan Jathanna | Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) in Bangalore, India: carnivore biology, species’ responses to human impacts, estimation of population and demographic parameters using capture recapture modelling, distance sampling, occupancy estimation and modelling, and statistical modelling for other ecological data |
| Dr. Mark Hulme | Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Edinburgh, Scotland: monitoring birds and mammals in and around Gola Rainforest National Park, Sierra Leone, determining the impact of improvements in cocoa yield on biodiversity, habitat connectivity and the impact on crop raiding of cocoa, mainly by primates |
| Dr. Hannah Mumby | University of Sheffield, United Kingdom: how huge mammals make evolutionary sense, and use this knowledge to inform conservation strategies |
| Dr. Jonathan Salerno | United States: how and why rural people in tropics make livelihood decisions, as well as how biodiversity conservation strategies affect these decisions and household well-being |
| Dr. Lindsey Swierk | Penn State University, United States: Behavioral ecologist with a research focus on the mating systems and reproductive biology of reptiles and amphibians |
| Dr. Malcolm Burgess | Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), University of Exeter: Afro-Palaeartic migrant birds, breeding ecology, and demography and migratory behaviour |
| Dr. Isaac Busayo Oluwatayo | University of Limpopo, South Africa: welfare analysis, poverty, inequality, food security, climate change, gender, environmental, and social protection issues |
| Dr. Caitlin Wells | United States: behavior, genetics, and conservation of wild vertebrates |
| Dr. Stephanie Schuttler | North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, United States: behavior, molecular, and movement ecology, especially applied research that impacts conservation |
| Dr. Toni Lyn Morelli | Massachusetts, United States: ecology and genetics of lemurs in Madagascar, impacts of climate change on animal populations |
| Prof. H. Resit Akçakaya | Stony Brook University, United Sates: developing and applying quantitative methods to address questions in conservation biology and environmental risk assessment |
| Dr. Margaret Awuor Owuor | South Eastern Kenya University, Kenya |
| Dr. Israel Borokini | University of California, Berkeley, United States: plant ecology and biogeography, spatial phylogenetics, conservation biology |
| Dr. Bernard Coetzee | |
| Dr. Lauren Redmore | |
| Dr. Lynne R. Baker | |
| Dr. Dennis Otieno | Germany |
| Dr. Bernard Kirui | |
| Dr. Gilbert Adum |
The SCB Africa Region is grateful to Dr. Mary Molokwu who coordinated the e-mentoring programme for many years. We are also grateful to Dr. Benedictus Freeman who stepped in to coordinate the e-mentoring after Dr. Molokwu. Dr. Margaret Awuor Owuor and Badru Mugerwa’s efforts in managing the 5th e-mentoring phase is acknowledged.