27 June 2009
Nairobi — A Kenyan has been named winner of the 2009 Young Women Conservation Biologists Award. Ms Shivani Bhalla was unanimously selected by Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) Africa Section Young Women Conservation Biologists Awards Panel.
This is the third year that the award has been presented. The Award certificate will be presented at the 2009 SCB meeting, to be held in Beijing from 11-16 July, 2009.
"In addition to Ms Bhalla's academic excellence, her breadth and depth of activities in the conservation and community awareness arenas was second to none," a statement from the panel says.
It quotes Dr Phoebe Barnard (SCB Africa Section Award Panel Chair 2007 and 2009) saying: "We in Africa are really fortunate to have conservation biologists with such passion and energy in our midst." Ms Bhalla is currently attaining her PhD through the University of Oxford's Department of Zoology.
Working with pastoralists in Samburu, Northern Kenya, Ms Bhalla seeks to reduce livestock loss to predators, track lion movement in and out of the protected areas (Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserves) and monitor habitat changes and prey numbers.
Africa's lion population has dramatically reduced in recent years because of habitat reduction and human-lion conflict. "If local communities are not engaged as part of the solution, lions will disappear from the landscape, " says Ms Bhalla.
The 2009 mainstream SCB awardees (for the SCB LaRoe and Distinguished Service Awards) include Joel Berger, George Schaller and Kamal Bawa, and Ms Shivani will be attending the conference to receive her award personally.
The 2007 winner of the YWCB Award was Margaret Aanyu, freshwater biologist from Uganda, and the 2008 winner was Kristal Maze, chief director of biodiversity planning and mainstreaming from South Africa.
The non-monetary award is on a nomination basis and is aimed at recognising the contribution of early to mid career African women in conservation. The nominee is expected to demonstrate evidence of leadership, creativity, self motivation and enthusiasm.
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