Nyawira Muthiga

Biographical Information
"Nyawira is a Kenyan marine scientist who has spent the past twenty years dedicated to the management and conservation of East African marine ecosystems. She is currently the Coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Marine Programs in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), with research projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, the Seychelles, and Madagascar. Prior to that she served as the head of the Coastal and Wetlands Programme at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and as a Senior scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute...

"Nyawira also plays a role in national conservation initiatives and has overseen the rapid evolution of sea turtle conservation programs in Kenya as the Chair of the Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation Committee since 2002. Her role in regional initiatives includes chairing the Coral Reef Task Force, established under the Nairobi Convention since 2002 as well as the President of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) since 2001. Nyawira is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Indian Ocean South East Asian (IOSEA) MOU for Sea turtles and the Executive committee for the World Bank/GEF global Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building Project (CRTR). She recently received the National Geographic/Buffet award for achievements in Conservation as well as the Kenyan Presidential award, the Order of the Grand Warrior."

From 2005: "The Secretariat wishes to congratulate IOSEA Advisory Committee member, Dr. Nyawira Muthiga, on her receiving the prestigious 2005 National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in African Conservation.

"Dr. Muthiga, coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Western Indian Ocean Marine Program, received a $25,000 prize from agriculturalist, businessman and widely published agricultural, humanitarian and wildlife photographer Howard Buffett at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C, on 19 October 2005.

"Established through the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the awards acknowledge the winners’ outstanding work and lifetime contributions that further the understanding and practice of conservation in their countries...

"Muthiga, who has a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Nairobi, is president of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association.

"National Geographic Society/Buffett Award recipients are chosen from nominations submitted to the National Geographic Society’s Conservation Trust, which screens the nominations through a peer-review process. "


 * Trustee, Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation and Management Trust
 * Advisory Board, Ocean Foundation