Shawlet Cherono

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Project Officer

Kenya

“Nature abhors a vacuum” is an ideal I have subconsciously lived with since my childhood. Hailing from the Rift Valley region, conserving nature has been part of my growth and development. With boundless curiosity and fervour, the need to explore the link between communities and holistic wetlands management became a primary objective and I innately pursued a career in nature conservation.

Suffice it to say that working with Wetlands International is a privilege to continue the noble work of protecting nature and educating society on why we need nature more than it needs us. As a Project Officer under the Eastern Africa Wetland Initiative, I work to address factors contributing to the loss of wetland ecosystems in Lamu by putting in place suitable measures for integrated planning and management at the landscape level.

Prior to my present role, for more than five years as a research scientist and project manager, I dedicated my efforts to conserving natural ecosystems along the coast of the Western Indian Ocean region. Through proposal development, ecological surveys, scientific research, I have worked with local communities, government institutions and agencies, CSOs and the private sector in implementing projects on sustainable ecosystems, restoration and conservation at local, national and regional levels. Before joining Wetlands International, I worked at The Nature Conservancy, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, and as a consultant at Watering Africa Livelihoods.

I hold a Master of Science degree in Aquatic Ecology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Coastal and Marine Resource Management from Kenyatta University.

Away from work, I enjoy yoga, planting and nurturing trees, travelling and hiking and exploring new cultures.