I am an award-winning regional expert on small mammals, especially bats, with extensive fieldwork experience. One of my principal interests is the processes that drive rarity and abundance of mammals in natural and human-dominated environments. This research involves behavioural, ecological, and systematic/taxonomic questions and is central to my work to promote bat conservation in Africa. I am co-chair of Bat Conservation Africa and a science advisor to Bat Conservation International (USA); and together with colleagues I have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for science, capacity building, and biodiversity conservation projects in Africa. I am also a member of the Bat Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
In the West of Kenya, human population growth has led to increased encroachment on tropical rainforests, such as Kakamega Forest, via human settlements, agriculture, charcoal burning and logging. As a result, forest specialist bat species have disappeared. Forest loss has also indirectly led to both flash floods and/or lack of rainfall at times of the year, which exacerbates poverty levels in the region.
Google Scholar | LinkedIn | Twitter
