Meet the team
Eugene Rutagarama
- IGCP Director
- MSc in Applied Ecology and Conservation
Exiled at the height of the conflict in Rwanda, he returned home to rebuild the national park system and protect crucial mountain gorilla habitat. Eugène's invaluable contribution to grass-roots conservation earned him two prestigious prizes, the Jean Paul Getty Prize and the 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize, conservation's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. In June 2007, he was featured as a CNN hero “Defending the Planet”.
Maryke Gray
- Information Management Officer, IGCP
- MSc. Botany/Zoology (First Class)
Maryke works regionally on monitoring and evaluation, tracking the conservation impact of all activities to ensure that IGCP is focusing on and achieving its targets. An independent Aussie, she is a born field operative with first class mapping and GIS skills.
Augustin Basabose
- Conservation Science Officer
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Zoology
Augustin has played a lead role in the conservation of great apes in Central Africa for more than 15 years. He is the currently leading the Ranger-based Monitoring Program, and also acting as the Country Representative in DRC.
Augustin is providing extensive primatological field research knowledge to strengthen IGCP’s mountain gorilla conservation impact in Virunga Massif and Bwindi Impenetrable forest.
Mark Mwine
- Enterprise Officer, DRC
- Masters in Business Administration (MBA)
A specialist in economics and enterprise, Mark has developed a close rapport with the local communities, with whom he works to explore new business opportunities (see Improving livelihoods).
After having successfully initiated conservation enterprises in Rwanda, Mark Mwine has now moved to the challenging post war zone of DRC. Mark is a very good team player and is viewed as a seasoned campaigner.
Mediatrice Bana
- Programme Officer, Rwanda
- BSc. Biology
Mediatrice is a qualified biologist who has quickly mastered the complexities of the programme's Global Information System (GIS). Her enthusiasm, strength and effectiveness in the field have already earned huge respect from her predominantly male colleagues in Rwanda and the region.
Peter M. Ngigi
- Finance and Administration Manager
- BA Accounting and Business Administration
A native of Nairobi, Peter has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Business Administration, and is a certified public accountant, as well as a certified public secretary. Before joining IGCP, Peter spent ten years at ACROSS, an international humanitarian NGO working Southern Sudan, where he held various positions, including Financial Controller.
A budget whiz who also coordinates IGCP administrative regulations and assists with IGCP’s frequent IT challenges, Peter has been responsible for implementing SUN systems as the organizations main accounting software, which has translated to improved financial management and accurate and timely reporting. A family man with two quickly growing boys, Peter’s current interest (and goal) is to learn how to swim. Anyone who is willing to teach him is most welcome!
Altor Musema
- Programme Officer, DRC
- Masters in Applied Biology (MSc)
Though coming from an academic background, Altor has embraced the conservation field work with enthusiasm. Working in a challenging environment doesn’t stop him from energetically moving the programme's conservation agenda.
Stephen Asuma
- Programme Officer, Uganda
- BSc. (Hons) Wildlife Biology Ecology and Applied Parasitology & Entomology
With many years of experience as a park manager, Stephen brings on-the-ground operational strength to IGCP. A strong, authoritative character, he is adept at persuading people to agree on a chosen course of action.
James Byamukama
- Programme Officer, Uganda
- MSc in Environmental systems analysis and management
After a long career in governmental forestry department where he won the best forest award. James tactful attitude has enhanced his relationships with park staff and their effectiveness. He is Mr GIS of the programme.
Rosy Kabeya
- Finance and Admin Assistant, DRC
- DRC Bachelors Business and adminstration
Finance and Administration Officer, DRC Bachelors in Business and adminstration Rosy has worked for IGCP, DRC for almost 7 years.
Wellard Makambo
- Enterprise Officer – DRC Programme
- Bachelor of Commerce
A multinational traveler who often appears at all IGCP offices in the space of a week, Wellard was born in Burundi and raised in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a major in Business Administration from Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.
Comfortable anywhere in East Africa, Wellard worked as an Assistant Regional Coordinator for YCS (Young Christian Students) in Kenya before joining IGCP in November 2007. With his business background, Wellard’s favorite aspect of his work is working with communities and developing projects aimed at increasing family income in a sustainable manner. He loves football (soccer) and cooking, and spends his free time with his wife and daughter, as well as visiting friends.
His beloved Congolese music can often be heard merrily blaring from his mobile phone at breaks or after work during conferences and IGCP meetings.
Enoch Rono
- Finance and Administration Officer – Directorate
- Bachelor of Commerce
A native of Kenya’s Rift Valley, Enoch joined the IGCP Finance team in January 2008. He is a certified public accountant in Kenya, and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting. Enoch works with the entire IGCP finance team in our three country programs in Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda to continuously improve the records system and internal controls.
Before IGCP, he worked for the American Center for Labor Solidarity (ACILS-Solidarity Center), a partner organization of the American Labor Union AFL-CIO. He enjoys IGCP’s supportive work environment and interacting with staff at the Directorate office in Rwanda. A follower of politics, he also watches football (soccer) and likes to read in his spare time. His big smile can often be seen lighting up rainy and sunny days alike throughout the office.
Salvatrice
- TBA
To be announced
Team spirit
IGCP has focused on developing a team of African conservation professionals with a range of complementary strengths and expertise. Although each team member has specialist skills, the demands of the programme dictates that staff must be flexible, versatile and supportive.
This strong sense of collective responsibility and loyalty to the cause means that the team is greater than the sum of its parts. According to the former Director of IGCP Drs Annette Lanjouw, “A shared sense of humour has no doubt helped everyone to cope with the many challenges of operating in a war zone”.
Local partners
The programme is structured to provide permanent technical support to the protected area authorities of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
These are, respectively, the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN), the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN).
Board members
- Helen Gichohi, President, African Wildlife Foundation
- Katie Frohardt, Executive Director, Fauna & Flora International
- Taye Teferi, East Africa Regional Programme Country Representative, World Wide Fund for NatureWWF
Park Wardens
- Emmanuel De Merode – Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Prosper Uwingeli – Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
- Charles Tumwesigye – Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area
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