Edinburgh Napier University

Kevin Marriott spent 14 years in the British Army and Special Forces. At first, he worked as a Radio Technician before spending eight years as a Special Forces Communicator. He left the Armed Forces in 2012 to set up his own business which focused on providing technical expertise to UK government-sponsored counter terrorism projects. These assignments were often in the field of anti-poaching and conservation in the Horn of Africa. 

On one occasion Kevin was asked to travel to northern Kenya to provide park rangers working in a protected area with technical training. It was after this visit he decided to focus his work on helping conservation NGO’s (Non-Government Organisations) throughout Africa.

Many protected areas need military-type technologies to assist them in protected area management but don’t have a military budget. There is also a significant need for parks to be able to support and maintain technologies themselves and not rely on external contractors. Kevin's wealth of experience through previous work in developing and training foreign counter-terror teams meant he was in high demand in many of the highest profile, high risk and important protected areas throughout sub–Saharan Africa. This exposed Kevin to several different approaches to protected area management and he learnt as much as he could from all those involved. In return he was able to share his knowledge.

“The skills I had been taught and the experience gained throughout my Army service, were in great demand within conservation (NGO’s) throughout Africa. Many protected areas were not only dealing with threats from poachers, but also from well-armed militias in countries like the DR-Congo and Mali.”

It was whilst working in the northern rangelands of Kenya in 2016, he met and spent time working with conservationists, who one day asked him to help rescue and treat a badly injured elephant caught in a snare, set by poachers. This profoundly traumatic experience sealed his decision to become a wildlife biologist.

Kevin was unsure about what course he might study to become a wildlife biologist. However, in Mali whilst working on another project, Kevin met a researcher and conservationist involved with the Mali Elephant Project. He wanted to learn more about protected area management and was kindly helped to decide on a course of study. Due to his work schedule, an online MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation at Edinburgh Napier proved the best option. This was the best fit to provide Kevin with the relevant path to transition from working in conservation technology to protected area management. 

“I really enjoyed the learning experience but did struggle with time. A full-time job with a hectic travel schedule as well as trying to maintain family life, balanced with studying, was difficult. COVID was also very difficult. Even though I wasn’t traveling for my own work, my wife's workload as an ICU nurse increased dramatically, and we found ourselves all over the USA for her work in COVID ICU’s.”

Kevin currently works for XPRIZE Rainforest, a five-year competition to accelerate the innovation of autonomous technologies needed for biodiversity assessment. The aim is to reveal the true potential of the standing forest, accelerating the development of new, just and sustainable bio-economies. Kevin’s role as Technical Lead means he supports the technical operations and execution of the competition. This will enhance understanding of rainforest ecosystems by using rapid data integration, providing new wisdom about the forest, inspiring new investment and exploration.

Kevin was delighted to graduate in July 2022 with his MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation. He is looking forward to diversifying his technological knowledge in conservation, and new wildlife biology knowledge, to expand on his career aspirations.