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The TBA is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation working in partnership with environmental institutions throughout the Africa region.
TBA was established in 1993 by a group of dedicated biologists in order to give a high standard of ecology and conservation training to African and European biologists alike, thereby strengthening the international scientific and conservation community. Since its first course with 27 participants (18 Europeans and 9 Africans) in Uganda, TBA has grown from strength to strength. Since the beginning, TBA has trained over 1200 biologists from over 45 different countries. Annually three or four courses are rotated and carried out in the following countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Madagascar with, in 2009, a course in Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Established through funding from the Darwin Initiative, the TBA is supported by grants and collaborative programmes from government and non government agencies and the private sector. It has a subscribing membership of over 40 universities, research departments and conservation institutions which form the basis of its governing council. The TBA offices are located in Cambridge and Nairobi. Click here for the TBA office contact details.
TBA staff
Sue Barnard, Partnerships Manager, Cambridge office
Sue completed a PhD on the impacts of bushfires in northern Australia and taught tropical ecology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She worked for TBA as the course coordinator for four years before going on to manage TBA's partnerships and also research projects in Uganda.
Contact: sue.barnard@tropical-biology.org
Monica Frisch, Office Manager, Cambridge office
Monica has worked in various secretarial and administrative roles as well as having experience of small-scale publishing, freelance research in the environmental sector and teaching adult education courses. She is an enthusiastic amateur botanist with a keen interest in ecology, conservation and wider environmental issues. Her role is to keep the Cambridge office running smoothly including producing publications, arranging travel and keeping the finances in order.
Contact: monica.frisch@tropical-biology.org
Anthony Kuria, Program Manager, Nairobi office
Kuria holds a Masters' degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Before joining TBA in 1998, Kuria was a research associate in the Ornithology Department at the National Museums of Kenya. He has served as a trainer on TBA's annual international field courses in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, and heads TBA's Nairobi office.
Contact: tba-africa@tropical-biology.org
Martin Mwema, Courses Organiser, Nairobi office
Martin joined TBA from the National Museums of Kenya’s Ornithology Department, where he worked as Research Fellow in the Important Bird Areas (IBA) programme (a collaboration with Nature Kenya) and also as the Assistant Coordinator for the National Waterbird Monitoring Programme. He holds a Masters degree from the University of Cape Town. A TBA alumnus, he is involved in the coordination of the African field courses for TBA.
Contact: courses-africa@tropical-biology.org
Clive Nuttman, Course Coordinator, Cambridge office
Clive has a Bachelors' degree in Environmental Biology from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland where he also completed his PhD. studying pollination ecology, and lectured for 3 years. He coordinates and teaches on TBA's annual international field courses in East Africa and Madagascar, and has worked in Central America, Israel, the Greek Islands, and Egypt.
Contact: clive.nuttman@tropical-biology.org
Emmah Owidi, Project Officer, Nairobi office
Emmah has a Bachelors of Education (Science) Degree and majored in Botany and Zoology. She has a keen sense of nature and a great interest in matters of biodiversity and conservation. She would like to see a world where the ecosystem is respected and protected rather than destroyed. She wants to use her skills to help further this cause. She manages the TBA Alumni Follow-up Support Program and the online information centre.
Contact: alumni@tropical-biology.org
Rosie Trevelyan, Director, Cambridge office
Shortly after being awarded a PhD. by Oxford University in the early 1990s, Rosie helped found TBA and has raised over $4 million since then to fund the training programs that she has created. Rosie has travelled widely throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and the South Pacific, and is part of a team responsible for developing plans to conserve the biodiversity of the Pitcairn Islands.
Contact: rosie.trevelyan@tropical-biology.org
David Wright, Biodiversity Project Officer, Cambridge office
Since studying Zoology and gaining a Masters degree in Resource Management, David has worked on a variety of conservation, research and tourism projects in Madagascar, southern Africa, Canada and South America; and has several years experience as an ecological consultant in the UK. He joined TBA in April 2009 and focuses on TBA's corporate partnership and research projects.
Contact: david.wright@tropical-biology.org