Marion Cheatle is a specialist in environmental assessment, monitoring and reporting, and is the chief of the Early Warning Branch and Deputy Director, Division of Early Warning and Assessment, UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya.

Cheatle has played a key role in establishment of a global participatory assessment process, capacity building of collaborating institutions, coordination of UNEP’s contributions to the World Resources Report. She has also contributed immensely to the planning and establishment of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS), in collaboration with partner organizations and development of assessment frameworks, methodologies and tools. 

Cheatle has conducted courses in soil and water management for sustainable smallholder development, Geographic Information Systems(GIS) and remote sensing; tropical forest resources impact assessment; national data base compilation; development of water quality monitoring and assessment programmes.

Cheatle’s carried out a PhD thesis on assessment of deforestation and woodfuel production. In addition to the PhD, she holds a Masters degree in Ecology from University of Aberdeen, U.K