Steve McKean is a career conservationist and has over 40 years’ experience as an ecologist, having specialised mainly in sustainable resource use and natural resource management.

Steve has a strong interest and expertise in ecology, resource economics, water resource and catchment management, and particularly in developing and implementing market-based mechanisms and incentives to address conservation challenges.  Developing and implementing incentive-based solutions to conservation challenges is a particular interest. 

He was one of the initiators of the KZN Biodiversity Stewardship Programme in 2005/6 and is a co-founder of the small but very successful conservation NGO – Conservation Outcomes (www.conservation-outcomes.org). He is currently working with BirdLife South Africa, managing the WWF Nedbank Green Trust-supported project “Formalising and advancing contributions to South Africa’s Conservation Estate using OECMs”.