Ben Wandago

Ben is a conservation professional with over 35 years of work experience that covers managing programs on biodiversity conservation and protection, and community participation in conservation. 

In Ben’s last role, he worked for USAID/Kenya & East Africa in the Environment Office for over 10 years as the Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management (NRM) Specialist, where he oversaw several biodiversity conservation projects. He also backstopped the Environment Team in terms of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) in addition to leading the policy dialogue as part of the ongoing reforms in the Land, Environment, and NRM Sectors in Kenya. As team lead, he was instrumental in the rapid development of the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA) and some of its regional members with which IFAW continues to partner,  such as the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET) and Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (TTWCA).  

Ben also had a stint with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) as the Samburu Heartland Coordinator, where he was responsible for providing overall leadership, management, and accountability for the activities and performance of AWF’s conservation program in the Laikipia/Samburu/Isiolo region in Kenya. He supported the growth and capacity building of several conservancies and other local grassroots organizations. 

Earlier on, he worked for the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as a Programme Officer based at the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya, with the overall responsibility of Technical and Managerial support to a portfolio of Natural Resource Management (NRM) projects that included Forests and Mangroves. He participated in the development of the Community Environment Management Planning (CEMP) tool that was used for planning, environmental management, and capacity development of local community organizations in Refugee hosting areas in the larger Eastern Africa Region. 

He started his professional career as a Conservator of Forests with Kenya Forest Service in 1989 

Ben has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry (Moi University) and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Sciences (Wageningen Agricultural University, Netherlands).