College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Community Sustainability

My research uses remote sensing for addressing issues of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, with particular focus on the multi-dimensional changes taking place in East Africa’s drylands, and the impact this is having on water resources. As part of the MacArthur Foundation funded ‘Lake Turkana ecological/hydrological baseline’ project, I have used satellite dataset to investigate the natural variability of water quality in Lake Turkana and to predict how this may change due to the Gibe III hydropower dam and planned commercial irrigation schemes. My results show that the productivity of the lake will decline as a result of the loss of seasonal inflows from the Omo River, with serious implications for the lake’s productive fisheries, which are vital for maintaining local livelihoods and nutritional security. I am also investigating land cover changes within the Omo-Turkana Basin, including fluctuations in the size of the Omo Delta wetland.