Jackson NDERA is the Lake Kivu and Rusizi River Basin Portfolio Specialist who is supporting a growing cohort of community-based organizations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are restoring degraded land across the landscape.

Jackson is a forester by profession. Prior to joining WRI, he worked as Forestry and Climate Change Program Manager for APEFA RWANDA NGO coordinating the projects’ activities related to forestry and climate change and in he coordinated the component of Community Capacity building in the areas of Livelihoods and Agroforestry for Forest Landscape Restoration in the Amayaga Region in Southern Province of Rwanda. For 7 years has also worked at the New Forests Company Ltd in Rwanda as a Forester in Harvesting and Silviculture operations.

Jackson holds a bachelor's degree in Agroforestry from University of Rwanda, College of Agriculture, Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine. In 2014 together with his fellows they started Tropical Timbers Ltd that offers services in silviculture, timber harvesting and selling.

In his spare time, Jackson is a big fan of football, reading and enjoys singing and listening to Rwandan traditional music.