Edwin Njuguna, Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology

Co-Advisor:  Christina Murphy – Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Co-Advisor:  Cynthia Loftin – Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology
Co-Advisor:  Malcolm Hunter – Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology
Start Date: Summer 2022
M.S. 2016, Biology of Conservation, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
B.S. 2011, Environmental Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
edwin.njuguna@maine.edu, 207.581.2939

Brief Biography: I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya where I have lived, gone to school, and worked for most of my life. I began working on birds after my undergraduate studies. This was my motivation to take up a conservation biology focus, working to protect threatened habitats and birds and to train upcoming birders and bird guides on bird conservation. I love birdwatching, bird banding, playing soccer, cooking, and being outdoors.

Current Research:   I have an interest in landscape ecology with a special interest in ecosystem services provisioning by birds. I hope to develop a biotic index that can be used to assess ecosystem health using citizen science bird data. Specifically, I seek to develop an avian biological condition gradient (ABCG) assessment tool for the Upper Tana River Watershed in Kenya, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the National Museums of Kenya, using citizen science data from the Kenya Bird Map project (KBM) that has been in existence for the last 10 years.