Key skills and expertise

Bringing over 42 years of experience in biodiversity conservation, tropical forest management, and livelihoods, the expert is adept at managing large-scale international conservation programs. Skilled in fundraising and providing strategic advice on REDD+ and sustainable forest management, the expert has led initiatives with organizations such as WWF, serving as Regional Director for the Guianas. Career highlights include supporting the creation of protected areas and overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets, demonstrating strong leadership and project management capabilities.

Project experience and donor exposure

Worked across diverse projects involving collaboration with international donors such as the World Bank, ITTO, EU-DEVCO, FAO, UNDP, UNOPS, UK Aid, GiZ, FFEM, and the French Development Bank AfD. Responsibilities have included project implementation, technical assistance, evaluations, and capacity building in areas like tropical forestry, biodiversity conservation, and REDD+. The geographic scope of work has been regional and sector-specific, spanning South/Central America, the Caribbean, Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe, with significant contributions to conservation and sustainable forest management projects.

Sectors and geographic focus

With a background in sectors such as rural development, civil society and NGOs, education, environment and natural resource management, land and erosion, soil, research, and agriculture, the expert has held senior roles such as Regional Director and Senior Consultant. This includes managing large-scale conservation and forestry projects and providing strategic advice on biodiversity conservation and forest management. Geographic experience spans regions such as South/Central America, the Caribbean, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, with deep familiarity in the Amazon and Guianas regions.

Languages and education

Background includes fluency in Dutch, English, French, and Spanish, with moderate proficiency in Portuguese and Sranan Tongo. These language skills have been utilized extensively in international conservation projects and collaborations across multilingual teams in regions such as South/Central America, the Caribbean, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, supporting effective communication and project execution. The expert holds a Master of Science degree in Bio-Engineering from the State University of Gent, Belgium, specializing in tropical forest management, tropical ecology, and timber use.