Constance Hunt

I have been conserving aquatic ecosystems throughout my career. After completing my B.S. in wildlife biology (cum laude, Arizona State University), I worked as a research associate for the National Wildlife Federation, While preparing congressional testimony on the impacts of water projects in the western U.S. on endangered species, I wrote my first book (Down by the River: the Impacts of Federal Water Projects and Policy on Aquatic Ecosystems, Island Press, 1988). During my graduate studies (M.A. with honors in Public Policy, University of Chicago), I worked as a biologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the permitting program established under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. I moved on to supervise Lakewide Management Plans for the Great Lakes as a life scientist with the U.S. EPA, region 5.

WWF-U.S. hired me from U.S. EPA to manage their wetland work. I stayed with WWF-U.S. overseeing wetland and river conservation domestically and then internationally, including in the Mekong and Niger river basins, until 2001, when I took a sabbatical to write my third book, Thirsty Planet: Strategies for Sustainable Water Management (Zed Books, 2004). I moved to Kenya in 2003 to accept a senior position with the UNEP Dams and Development Project.

After DDP wrapped up, I decided to stay in Kenya and start my own NGO, the Kenya Water, ENergy, Cleanliness and Health (KWENCH) Project. We initially implemented water and sanitation projects in Kenya's informal settlements and rural areas. We are currently undertaking ecosystem restoration work in the Kakamega Rainforest, Kenya's only tropical rainforest, and the Ewaso Ng'iro basin, which, like the Tana river, runs through the ASAL eastern part of the country.

Increasingly responsible positions in the environmental conservation field, with a strong emphasis on conservation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. Minor focus on water and sanitation. Served on three water-related committees of the National Academy of Sciences. Published three books related to conservation and water management. Currently the Executive Director of an NGO that I founded in Kenya.

B.S. cum laude, Wildlife Biology, Arizona State University 1984.

M.A. with honors, Public Policy, University of Chicago, 1988.