University
University of Nairobi
Area of Focus
Climate Change and Adaptation
Education
Yvonne Githiora is a PhD candidate at the University of Nairobi Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation in Kenya. She has previously worked in both the public and non-governmental sector, on projects ranging from public policy, to climate change mainstreaming, and water and ecosystems research. Yvonne is passionate about making a positive impact on environmental, societal, and education issues in Africa. She is also a part-time lecturer in the Department of Community and Environmental Management at the Co-operative University of Kenya, and the founder of Africa Research Hub, a platform that provides resources and information to graduate students to help them develop their research skills.
Research & Work
Yvonne’s research focuses on the link between communities and ecosystems, and how scientific information can be used to inform development planning and processes. As a trained ecologist, Yvonne’s thesis investigates the impacts of changes in land use and climate on ecosystem services delivery in the Yala wetland in western Kenya. Working through a participatory approach that relies on the knowledge of natural resource experts and community members who are directly affected by development processes in the wetland, Yvonne’s research articulates the voices of stakeholders in the region. Her research will also include the development of plausible community-driven scenarios which can improve landscape management in ecologically sensitive areas that are under pressure from development.
Publications:
