Staff Spotlight: Jestina Kimbesa
Growing up among the Amani Nature Reserve in Tanzania, the largest block of sub-montane forests and lowland forests in the East Usambara Mountains, Jestina Kimbesa developed a love for forests. When she returned to Amani after college, however, she was heartbroken to see barren hills where the luxurious forests once stood. She decided then that she wanted to focus her career on helping people understand the importance of forests and the biodiversity they support.
Jestina first joined the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in the East Africa region in Tanzania in October 2015. She started as a budget specialist, with an educational background in Information Technology and a graduate degree in International Cooperation and Development. Although she had no formal training in biodiversity, she remained interested in forests and environmental issues. In June 2018, Jestina jumped at the opportunity to serve as a project management specialist for natural resource management. Her participation in the yearlong USAID Biodiversity Advisors staff program helped her to expand her knowledge and practical experience with the current challenges, solutions, and best practices in the field.
She manages the implementation of two USAID biodiversity activities in Tanzania. In the western region, a USAID project implemented by the Jane Goodall Institute is working to protect endangered chimpanzee populations and their habitats through effective land use planning and local community empowerment. In southwestern Tanzania, a USAID project managed by the local Lawyers’ Environmental Action Team aims to protect land, wildlife, forests, and water resources in the area. Jestina coordinates efforts between the various support offices and regularly monitors local reports for issues in the region that relate to USAID’s investments in natural resource management and biodiversity.
Jestina also promotes cross-sectoral integration when designing and implementing biodiversity projects. She learned from her Biodiversity Advisors 2020 cohort journey that Missions in different countries often face similar issues and may have developed adaptable solutions to common challenges that they can share with colleagues. For example, she discovered a shared challenge in engaging technical staff in the implementation of an integrated project. The solution the Advisors recommended involved building a strong implementation team with defined roles and responsibilities for the various phases of the project. She emphasizes the importance of developing a unified team that collaborates and understands how other development sectors can contribute to achieving conservation outcomes.
Jestina’s ultimate goal is for Tanzania to prioritize biodiversity and the environment and to educate people on the significance of their natural environment. “We need the environment more than it needs us,” she says. “It should be a duty for every citizen to take care of the environment and wildlife for a sustained and prosperous future.”
