Tom Lalampaa is a leading African conservationist born in West Gate Community Conservancy in Samburu, Kenya. He has inspired many through his quest to champion for community conservation across the country. Tom has been instrumental in the design, development, and growth of the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) to comprise 39 community-owned conservancies, covering 42,000 square kilometres and leading conservation management in northern and coastal Kenya.
Tom, currently pursuing his PhD, holds a BA in Social work, MA in Project Planning and Management, and an MBA in Strategic Management, all from the University of Nairobi. He joined NRT in 2006, rising through the ranks to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NRT in February 2018.
His work majors on helping rural communities that are hosting, conserving, and protecting Kenya’s wildlife outside formal protected areas to strengthen their governance structures as well as their wildlife conservation, economic development, and peace building efforts.
Tom’s in-depth knowledge of the challenges attached to pastoral life in north Kenya’s harsh landscape and vast experience in wildlife conservation has earned him a great deal of respect among the 18 different ethnic groups he serves under the NRT landscape. It has also seen him appointed to a number of boards, including the Founding Chairperson of the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA), the Vice Chair of the Wildlife Security Taskforce, the Vice Chair of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust Board, and a board member of both the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Board of Trustees and The Nature Conservancy.
His incredible work has not gone unnoticed. In September 2013, Tom was awarded the Tusk Conservation Award by the Duke of Cambridge at a ceremony in London, which recognized his outstanding contribution to northern Kenya’s communities and wildlife. His accolades also include the Stanford University Law School’s Bright Award for Environment Sustainability, an international award that recognizes environmental pioneers. Tom has also done high-level presentations including open talks on wildlife trafficking during a visit by the former US President Barack Obama to Kenya in 2015, the US Congressional Staff briefing at Capitol Hill in the US. and the Tusk Trust Conservation Lecture in London.