Kendi Borona is a conservation professional with 12 years of experience in diverse landscapes across Africa. She was born and brought up near a forest in the Kenyan highlands. It was because of the waters flowing from this forest that I did not have to walk for long distances to fetch water – a task expected of girls in my community. This forest and its critical watersheds was protected by elders through the application of Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
She is a firm believer in the application of Indigenous Knowledge in the furtherance of just conservation and community livelihoods. Over the course of her career, she has worked towards the integration of natural and cultural heritage into a concrete whole. She has recently completed her PhD in Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia and is back home in Kenya to continue her work.