National Museums of Kenya PEBCA(2026)

Pathways for Emerging Biodiversity Changemakers in Africa (PEBCA)

Project Details

Grantee Organization: National Museums of Kenya

Grant Amount: $60,000

Contact: Esther Kioko kiokoesther08 'at sign' gmail.com

Funding Dates: 2026-2027

Capacity Development, Conference support

Last Updated: April 14th, 2026

Background

Pathways for Emerging Biodiversity Changemakers in Africa (PEBCA) is a one-year phased program that has three connected connected component: i) preparatory activities to build momentum towards the Second Joint International Scientific Conference (JISC); ii) convening the Second Joint International Scientific Conference (JISC); and iii) follow-up or post-conference activities that focus on the re-integration of the Emerging Biodiversity Changemakers in Africa, popularly known as early-career researchers, back into their parent institutions or countries as ‘biodiversity capacity development champions.’ The PEBCA will be guided by the lessons learned and opportunities missed from the 1st Joint International Scientific Conference held at in Nairobi at the National Museums of Kenya in June 2024.

The program shall consider supporting impact case studies from African countries that will be profiled at the second JISC in June 2026, Nairobi, Kenya. It is designed to transition selected Emerging Biodiversity Changemakers into the next layer of scientific impact, where they will be involved in building local capacity in their parent countries as Emerging Biodiversity Changemakers in Africa.

The Pathways for Emerging Biodiversity Changemakers in Africa (PEBCA) is designed to embody transdisciplinary aspirations by ensuring that PEBCA fellows collaborate with established researchers, NGOs, policymakers, and society to co-create biodiversity solutions and data-to-decision pathways. This will be achieved through structured capacity development and transfer, improved use of biodiversity data and information products in decision-making and securing strong partnerships for biodiversity and people.

Project Details

The immediate goals of the Pathways for Emerging Biodiversity Changemakers in Africa (PEBCA) project are:

Enhance the participation of early-career researchers and students in biodiversity policy through fostering the science-policy-practice interface (SPPI)
Engage master’s and doctoral students in the co-production of biodiversity knowledge products such as case studies, policy briefs, and knowledge resources that inform biodiversity management policy and practice.
Build and sustain a network of young scientists to engage and share knowledge, experiences, and tools for research in agro-biodiversity, freshwater biodiversity, and functional biodiversity groups such as pollinators.
Promote institutional partnerships and mentorship programs for the biodiversity science-policy-practice interface.
Institutionalize biodiversity-related capacity-building among young scientists.
Develop a platform for young scientists to engage and share knowledge, experiences, and tools for research.

Project Director Biographies

Esther Kioko is a principal research scientist in the Invertebrates Zoology Section at National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and an Adjunct Associate Professor in Department of Biology, University of Nairobi. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree in Science, Master of Science in Agricultural Entomology, Master of Science in Environmental Management and a PhD in Agricultural Entomology. Additionally, she has a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Insect Taxonomy. Previously she was a Senior Research Scientist in the Commercial Insects Programme at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology and has coordinated diverse multi-institutional research projects and mentored both MSc and PhD scholars. A passionate advocate for biodiversity conservation, she is currently the co-chair for the IUCN Kenya Species Specialist Group. She has received diverse awards among them, the 2019 British Ecological Society award for Ecologists in Africa and Kenya’s Order of the Grand Warrior in 2025.