Team

  • Stephanie S. Romañach, PhD
    Ecologist
    USA Director

    Stephanie earned her doctorate in ecology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She began her career as a research ecologist in 1997. Stephanie has worked on herbivore ecology in the United States, Southern Africa, and Eastern Africa, and carnivore conservation in Southern and Eastern Africa. She has worked with rural communities, private land owners, and governments on issues of human livelihoods and conflict with wildlife. Stephanie conducted wildlife research through the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya, and at the Savé Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe. Stephanie now works on conservation issues in the Everglades in the U.S. She remains involved with AWCF and its projects.

    Stephanie Romañach’s Publications

    Email: stephanie@africanwildlifeconservationfund.org

  • Peter A. Lindsey, PhD
    Conservation Biologist
    Africa Director

    Peter was born in Zimbabwe and is a trained conservation biologist. Peter earned a degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford, UK, and Masters and PhD in Zoology from the Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Peter has 15 years of experience working in African wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Kenya.

    Peter Lindsey’s Publications

    Email: peter@africanwildlifeconservationfund.org

  • Rosemary Groom, PhD
    Conservation Biologist
    Field Projects Coordinator

    Rosemary is a wildlife ecologist and conservationist who grew up in Zimbabwe. Rosemary earned her doctorate in zoology from the University of Bristol (UK) and has eleven years of experience working on conservation-related research in Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Rosemary has been managing the AWCF field projects in south-east Zimbabwe since 2008, and is employed by the Frankfurt Zoological Society to coordinate the Gonarezhou Predator Project.

    Rosemary Groom’s Publications

    Email: rosemary@africanwildlifeconservationfund.org

  • Victor Chibaya
    Community Liaison Officer

    Victor is a young man interested in wildlife conservation through community education campaigns. He did his BSc in Forestry Resources and Wildlife Management at Zimbabwe’s National University of Science and Technology in 2010. His main interests are in community education and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. Victor will be working on the primary school education project and community outreach programs.

    Email: education@africanwildlifeconservationfund.org

  • Heather Brand
    Conservation Biologist

    Heather is a born and bred Zimbabwean, whose passion for wildlife has taken her all over the world. She earned her degree in Wildlife Ecology from Lousiana State University, and her FGASA field guide certification in South Africa. She also represented Zimbabwe in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She is presently living in Argentina, though she continues to work with the AWCF on wildlife and education projects.

  • Nobesuthu Ngwenya
    Attachment Student

    Nobesuthu is a young Zimbabwean who did her advanced level at Mtshabezi High school in 2009. She is currently doing her BSc in Forestry Resources and Wildlife Management at Zimbabwe’s National University of Science and Technology. Her interests are in the conservation of wild dogs and the mitigation of anthropogenic factors affecting their biology. She will be living and working with the AWCF field team until August 2013, and is looking forward to learning about practical wildlife conservation in the field.

  • Rueben Bote
    Wildlife Tracker and Head Scout

    Rueben is an exceptional wildlife tracker from a community close the western border of Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC) in Zimbabwe. Rueben began his employment in 1992 tracking endangered black rhinos in SVC. In 1996, Rueben began working for the Lowveld Wild Dog Project, and now has 16 years of experience with the project. Rueben is head scout and his responsibilities include locating wild dog packs through a combination of spoor tracking and radio telemetry, assisting in spoor surveys, collecting data on bushmeat poaching, and assisting with wild dog immobilizations.

  • Misheck Matari
    Wildlife Tracker

    Misheck is also a skilled wildlife tracker, hailing from a village neighboring Savé Valley Conservancy. Misheck began his employment with the Lowveld Wild Dog Project in 2001 and has worked with the project ever since. In addition to his work on wild dogs, Misheck has also tracked radio-collared lions and other wildlife species, assisted with spoor surveys, carried out questionnaire surveys and still assists with data collection for AWCF’s bushmeat trade study.

  • Cain Kodzevhu
    Wildlife Tracker

    Cain joined the AWCF field team in May 2012 and has gone from strength to strength. He comes from a village about 80km from the Savé Valley Conservancy, and although he had little previous experience in wildlife tracking when he joined us, he has learned fast and proved to be a huge asset to the project. He has a natural talent for spoor tracking and is adept at radio tracking as well. His interest in and passion for all wildlife is clear. Cain has a wife and two daughters.