Edson Gandiwa
Edson Gandiwa is a Professor of Wildlife Conservation and Management and Dean in the School of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation at Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe.[1] He was appointed the director of research at the Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) in January 2021.
Background and Education
Prof Gandiwa holds a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science and Health (First Class, National University of Science and Technology, 2004), a MSc in Tropical Resource Ecology (Merit, University of Zimbabwe, 2007) and a PhD in Wildlife Conservation and Management (Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, 2013).[2]
Career
Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) appointed ecologist Professor Edson Gandiwa to the post of director of research in January 2021 to strengthen and broaden the Authority’s conservation and management strategies. Before his appointment, Prof Gandiwa was the executive dean at the Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT)’s school of wildlife, ecology and conservation.
He previously served as a Wildlife Ecologist for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority based in Gonarezhou National Park, Chiredzi, Zimbabwe.
He authored and co-authored over 140 peer-reviewed scientific publications in national, regional and international journals. He also contributed to several projects at national, regional and international levels, including the revision of protected area management plans, development of the Zimbabwe Tourism Master Plan, the recent Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) review, Regional Assessment report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Africa under the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and global Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment Report under IPBES. He also successfully supervised four PhD graduates, among other accomplishments.
Honours
He is a recipient of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) Working Group Young Opinion Thesis Award and an outstanding research award in the Natural Sciences and Environmental sector from the Research Council of Zimbabwe. He is an Affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences (2016-2020). In recent years, his research has focused on conservation biology, protected area management, human-wildlife interactions, media framing of wildlife conservation, and plant ecology.
