Louis Nkembi

I am a biodiversity conservation scientist from Cameroon working to save the disappearing globally threatened biodiversity species of the Cameroon mountains. I grew up in the rural Lebialem Highlands where I saw the increasing disappearance of the once abundant forest and widlife diversity of this area and after several consultations i decided to read sciences in the university and on completion I co-founded the pioneer Cameroonian conservation non-profit organisation in 1999 known as the Environment and Rural Development Foundation (ERuDeF) and in 2012, I also founded the ERuDeF Institute of Biodiversity with mission to focus on researching and saving the last globally threatened biodiversity species of the Cameroon mountains. My current involvement in the research and conservation of biodiversity in Cameroon is leading to the creation of a system of protected areas and the filling of the conservation gaps abandoned by the larger international conservation organisations working in Cameroon. Ever since I joined conservation, in 1998 I have been fascinated by the amount of work needed and the challenges involved in solving the incredible amount of conservation problems encountered on daily basis. My use of an inclusive and holistic approach to applied conservation led in 2010 for the British charity to award me the Whitley Award as one of the 8 internationally recognised result achieving conservation scientist and leader. The multi- stakeholder approach at local, national and international levels is yielding fruits over time.

July 2014