Who am I?
I am a Human ecologist interested in community-based biodiversity conservation and customary management of territories and areas conserved by indigenous people and local communities. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Studies and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Studies (Human Ecology). Since 2017, I enrolled for a PhD program in Environmental Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Spain, under the supervision of Dr. Pablo Dominguez. My Doctoral project has been funded by the French BioDivMeX project (http://biodivmex.imbe.fr/?lang=en), the EXPLORA Project of the Spanish Ministry (CSO2015-72607-EXP), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence; and a National Geographic Grant (EC-221R-18). In this project, I am examining the relevance of Indigenous People and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in rural Kenya with a special focus on the pastoral ICCA of Mwanda-Marungu in the Taita Taveta County, at the same time I am examining whether heritization procedures may help conserve, protect and support these systems. In fact, these ICCA systems have generally been identified as important livelihood holders, conservatoires of biodiversity and pools of strong cultural identities, which have demonstrated to be relatively resilient to different socio- environmental changes. This approach seeks to add value to cultural and natural values of such systems through the public and participatory recognition of ICCAs at local, regional, national and international level.
From 2010 to 2016, I became a Researcher and consultant actively involved in 11 community biodiversity conservation projects, all of which I led under the capacity of Principal Investigator (PI) funded by various International Conservation Agencies: Some of the notable projects include: Community-based bats conservation project in Taita hills, Kenya funded by Bat Conservation International, USA (2012); Community based Bush babies (Galagoides orinus) in Taita hills funded by International Primatological Society, USA (2013); Community based owls conservation project in Taita hills funded twice (2013 and 2014) by National Birds of Prey Trust, United Kingdom; Saving the Endemic Dwarf Mountain Galagos in Taita hills, Kenya funded by IPS, USA (2014); Ecological Habitat Conservation of the Critically Endangered Taita Shrew (Suncus aequatorius) in Taita hills, Kenya. Funded by Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (2014-2015); Conservation of Roosting and Maternity Habitats for the Endemic Mountain Dwarf Galagos (Galagoides orinus) in Taita hills forest complex, Kenya. Funded by Conservation through Community Involvement Initiatives Award- IPS, USA (2015); Conservation of roosting and Foraging habitats for Endemic Dwarf Galagos (Galagoides orinus) in Taita hills, Kenya; and Community Conservation through Incentives- Planting Passion fruits vines around indigenous forests so as to minimize Galagos-Famers conflicts in Taita hills Kenya. Funded by IPS, USA (2016); and Community-based Habitat Conservation for the endemic and critically endangered Taita hills Warty Frog Callulina dawida in Taita hills, Kenya. Project funded by CZS CBOT Endangered Species Fund.
Contact: dmmwamidi@gmail.com
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