I’m a field-based conservationist and institutional founder working at the intersection of ecology, governance, and knowledge systems in the Philippines. For over 15 years, my work has involved biodiversity research, trail and landscape exploration, community-integrated conservation, and long-term engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local governments. I’ve worked on species rediscovery, reforestation and carbon forestry, conservation field surveys, and governance-oriented mountain initiatives across Luzon and Mindoro. Rather than focusing on single projects or short funding cycles, my work centers on a broader question: how societies recognize, translate, and govern ecological reality in biodiversity-rich but institutionally fragmented contexts. In 2024, I co-founded the Sierra Madre Conservation Society (SierraPH), where I initiated four interlinked programs: • Found Nation, a counter-archive for forgotten and long-undocumented species • The Sierra Madre Trail Program, a governance-first framework for ethical movement through mountains • SierraCon, a knowledge summit connecting science, society, and climate resilience • The League of Indigenous Peoples Innovators (LIPI), an institutional incubation platform for Indigenous-led governance innovation Increasingly, my work explores how cultural memory, art, and ethics shape which species are seen, remembered, or forgotten, and how these forces influence conservation priorities and public understanding. Across these efforts, my focus is on building durable structures that allow ecological knowledge, Indigenous authority, and conservation practice to endure beyond individual projects, personalities, or funding cycles.

Hello! I'm Léa and I'm a WildLearning Specialist with WildTeam UK. I help create, design and deliver training courses. I love getting to know all the participants and learning from them :) Previously, I was working with BirdLife International on forest governance issues and in my previous life I worked in the development sector in the United States. Education-wise, I have studied economic development, international relations as well as tropical forestry in the past.  Hope to catch you in a WildHub social!