I am a WildLearning Specialist at WildTeam with a PhD in Conservation Biology.

My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity development. I researched mother-young interactions in gorillas and chimpanzees, in captivity and the wild. After that, I worked for three years in Indonesia, where I developed and implemented youth ambassador and community engagement programmes on local and regional scales. I work as Community Manager at WildHub since 2020, and I am on the Advisory Board of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent where I obtained my PhD on capacity development for conservation in 2022. 

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!

I'm a biodiversity consultant working mainly in the corporate space. I work with large companies to help them figure out their nature-related impacts, dependancies, risks and opportunities, then use this information to create biodiversity strategies. 

My career in conservation, research, and community relations started with the CLP-funded Calayan Rail Project as a field volunteer in 2008, focusing on its Communication, Education, and Public Awareness (CEPA) campaigns. I then followed it up with a wildlife surveying stint for the Tungtong River Conservation Project in Antipolo and as a mountain guide for a National Geographic-funded research study conducted by Dr. Tim Gallaher of the University of Hawaii. I was also the lead researcher for BAN Toxics in 2013, where I surveyed several artisanal small-scale gold mining communities across the country, measuring gaseous mercury emissions, conducting focus group discussions, and writing academic reports. I was a former Education and Research Head of the UP Mountaineers, where I was often deployed as a pro-bono lecturer in subjects such as ecotourism, basic mountaineering courses, and local guides training. Since my UPM appointment to helm its Sierra Madre Nature Trail Project in 2019, I have led multi-day trail explorations, liaised with local government units, consulted with indigenous peoples’ communities and leadership, and maintained a network of shareholders across the Sierra Madre. At this time, I work full-time as a project coordinator for the Talarak Foundation's Mindoro Warty Pig Conservation Project. Albeit in a minor capacity, I also provide logistical support to the Mt. Balagbag Reforestation and Empowerment project of the Philippine Parks and Biodiversity Conservation Society. In between and around these two, I craft grant and project proposals for the Sierra Madre Conservation Society, which I founded just this year (2024).