With a master degree in Protected Areas Management, I am working in the wildlife conservation unit as part of my role at APASAT NGO. My role focus on data collection on wildlife, field assessments, human wildlife coexistence and local community’s engagement in conservation efforts. This includes project management, proposal writing for funding and team supervision. I am currently leading a project on Human-Wildlife Coexistence, specifically addressing coexistence challenges between communities and the Critically Endangered Red-bellied Monkey (Cercopithecus erythrogaster erythrogaster) in the Biosphere Reserve of Ouémé. I am leading the team to conduct primate population monitoring, assess the interactions between local populations and primates, undertake coexistence strategies through environmental education, alternative livelihoods, and non-lethal deterrents and enhance community involvement in conservation approaches.

Damas has MSc in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation for Water Resources and Environment Management from University of Twenty in Netherlands, is a well-trained Civil & Water Resources Engineer and Environment Expert. his expertise lies in areas of Hydrological Modeling, WASH, community-based natural resources management, institutional strengthening, GIS and Remote Sensing, governance, Integrated Water Resources Management, Climate Change, Environmental Impact Assessment, Payment for Ecosystem Services, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Development of Land use and Forest Management plans, Stakeholders engagement in development process and Resources mobilization, Forest Landscape Restoration, Wetland mapping and monitoring, Project Monitoring and Evaluation and Design of hydro-meteorological monitoring stations. He possesses 12 years of progressive practical experience in the Water and Conservation sector in Tanzania. He has hands-on experience in planning, designing, managing, and executing Water Resources Management Projects as well as Conservation Programs. Damas has worked with various organizations including the Ministry of Water in Tanzania as Hydrologist he was involved in the development of Integrated Water Resources Development and Management Plan (IWRMDP) of the Lake Nyasa Basin Water Board, Songwe River Basin Management Plan (SRBMP), He has also been working with African Wildlife Foundation (AWF-International Conservation Organization) coordinating water resources management programs, and he is currently working with WWF as Program Executant WASH and IWRM. He is mainly responsible with coordination and delivery of Mara River Catchment Conservation (MRC) Project (USAID funded Project) and Mara Wetland Conservation Project (WetCoP) in the Serengeti - Mara sub-landscape of the Southern Kenya – Northern Tanzania (SOKNOT) Landscape.

I am a  Postdoctoral researcher with the Arctic Genomics Project, focusing on the use of genomic tools to support wildlife conservation, food security, and Indigenous-led research in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions. My work lies at the intersection of conservation biology, climate change, and community-based approaches, with a strong emphasis on ethical and respectful collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.

An explorer and an aspirant biodiversity conservation researcher. I seek to delve deeper into the study of the human-nature nexus and strive to foster more harmonious coexistence. I have gained brief experience in wildlife conservation at the Creative Conservation Alliance, working with Western Hoolock Gibbons and a few other wild animals. I am also working as an Associate Trainer at Mekateam, a game-based pedagogy where I provide training on basic climate literacy and biodiversity conservation to youth. Moreover, I synthesize and express my understanding of biodiversity and the natural world through my initiative, 'Toru.' Currently, I am undertaking research on Asian Elephants addressing the human-elephant conflict in Bangladesh.