ESEA was founded by ecologists in the eastern Africa region at the inaugural conference that was held at the National Museums of Kenya in 2007. The society was founded with an aim of bridging the ecological information gaps between ecologists in the region.

The society is a membership-based professional body. Members stem from various ecological backgrounds who can effectively contribute to our vision. The members are selected basing on their qualifications, experience, interest or passion in the ecological field or its relevance. We are housed by the National Museums of Kenya at the Natural Science Building, Mammalogy section.