Liomba-Junior is a PhD researcher working with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Somaliland, where he focuses on understanding carnivore populations and human-wildlife interactions in arid ecosystems. His work supports efforts to improve conservation planning, strengthen community livelihoods, and protect threatened carnivore species. Pursuing a PhD at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, his research will assess cheetah populations, distribution, and threats across Namibian conservancies and Somaliland, while also examining community perceptions and conflict between carnivores and local farmers and pastoralists. Through this work, Liomba-Junior aims to generate critical baseline data, strengthen community-based biodiversity monitoring, and inform conservation strategies that promote coexistence between people and wildlife.
He was nominated by Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder and Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a WCN Partner.
Awarded the Handsel Scholarship for Wildlife Conservation.
Location: Zimbabwe
School: Namibia University of Science and Technology