Marta Villasán Barroso
Biodiversity Conservation Biologist , Ecoenergías del Guadiana / Fauna&Vida NGO / SEO BirdLife
I'm from Badajoz, a little city near Portugal at Extremadura, Spain. I love my region because is plenty of wild nature, birds, forests, rivers... but is endangered too.
I have a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Biodiversity Conservation. I have more than 15 years of experience in Environmental Education with school kids and the general public. I'm interested in all related topics about ecology, conservation and all living creatures and their relationships, that makes possible the life on Earth.
I have worked in Paraguay granted by University of Salamanca and UNESCO Chair "Education for Sustainable Development: Strengthening lines of research in the area of biodiversity and the link with society". My duties were teaching experiments design and basic biostatistics at UNA (Universidad Nacional de Asunción); doing a biodiversity's bird research at the San Rafael National Park (the major Atlantic Forest patch remaining), ringing birds and teaching young students how to carry out a basic research; and doing environmental education with young child and population living at the natural park influence area.
I stayed at Madeira (Portugal) working on two LIFE projects, one to protect the endemic sparrowhawk "Furabardos" and the other to take care of marine birds. The LIFE projects are the UE tool to support and fund the conservation on their territories.
Later I have devoted to natural ecotourism at Extremadura (Spain) and scuba diving tourism at Sharm el Shaik (Egypt), in addition to environmental education, or little research and consultancy tasks. I have a youtube channel to outreach environmental issues and my own talks. Is in Spanish, but if you want you could take a look at it.
Currently, I have a job at an environmental consulting at Extremadura (Spain), working about the compensatory measures to take during and after the construction of photovoltaic plants. I take care of bird nests, mitigation and prevention of bird and bat mortality at the high voltage lines, soil restoration, reforestation, etc. I'm glad to carry out this work because I'm sure I'm doing the best to protect the nature while the construction of renewable energy plants are trying to reduce the climate change.
In addition, I take part from two NGOs: Fauna&Vida, a environmental conservation and education organization from Paraguay, where I'm currently the Education and conservation programs Director, and SEO/BirdLife, the ornithological society to protect birds, where I coordinate the volunteer group in my city.
An avid conservationist, I joined the BCP team as Conservation Manager in June 2021. With a deep love and passion for wildlife, conservation, and all things outdoors, I always knew I was destined to join the conservation field.
Graduated from Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa where after studying Game Ranch Management, before going on to work in the private sector. I've spent the last few years focusing on improving the local South African stock of sable, roan, rhino, buffalo, wild dog, and the restocking of Southern African sable and wild dog populations.
Apart from being a conservationist, I'm an enthusiastic equestrian.
Wildlife conservationist with over 15 years of experience. Particular interest in wildlife crime and anti-poaching. Almost a decade of experience in African rhino conservation and management. Especially interested in animal welfare and human-wildlife conflict as well as engaging local communities in the fight against wildlife crime and environmental degradation. Passionate about integrating women into conservation and the ranger force. Keen on meeting other conservationists and sharing ideas and making contacts. Always keen to learn from others around the world working on different subjects.
I am a wildlife ecologist with a background in ecology, psychology, and conservation biology. I have over a decade of experience supporting biodiversity conservation in various contexts working across the ecological and social sciences in India and Liberia (West Africa).
My strengths include designing and implementing biodiversity monitoring programmes, stakeholder engagement, transboundary conservation, community-based natural resource management, strategic communication, proposal development, fundraising, grant management, project coordination, capacity building, and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems. In addition, I have supported the implementation of conservation interventions focused on protected area management, OneHealth, policy development and sustainable livelihood. My research interest is working at the intersection of conservation science and policy development to balance developmental and environmental objectives within a sustainable development framework.
I am a founding member of the Saola Foundation for Annamite Mountains Conservation. Our mission is to help save the critically endangered Saola from extinction. Saola, a tropical ungulate that occur in Lao PDR and Vietnam, are one of the most endangered land mammals in the world today. To help save Saola, we are fundraising and mobilizing an intensive field program in Lao, designed to find the last wild Saola and determine if and how they can be captured to form a conservation breeding program.
I focus my work on creating frameworks for change in the social and environmental sectors. A common thread in my work is engaging people to take action, from designing e-volunteering schemes for corporate employees to empowering landowners to restore nature in Scotland. I have placed thousands of volunteers, guided strategic interventions the world’s leading charities, and helped create world firsts for conservation, including the world’s first rainforest agency and Nature Impact Token.
KABUNDA PAUL Paul MALUKUTILA
Fisheries Liaison Officer, Frankfurt Zoological Society- Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Project