The Randstad, Netherlands
I am a wildlife bioligist with a special interest in the diversity and distribution of (Philippine) birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, the impact of anthropogenic activities on their populations, and the options to conserve ecosystems and bioversity. Apart from studying wildlife and publishing the results I also try to apply my knowledge to the actual conservation of species and habitats in northern Luzon, Philippines. I am co-founder and director of the Philippine registered non-profit Mabuwaya Foundation, an environmental Civil Society Organisation (CSO) implementing community-based conservation activities. Mabuwaya started as a small Philippine crocodile conservation project but now has grown into one of the largest environmental CSOs of northern Philippines with twelve staff and an annual budget of approx. 250,000 USD. In addition to research and conservation work in the Philippines, I remain interested in wildlife studies and conservation in the Netherlands and in sub-saharan Africa where I conducted fieldwork for my BSc and MSc Biology (Schiermonnikoog, Cameroon, Mozambique) and where I started my professional career (Waza-Logone Project in Cameroon). I am a part-time lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) at Leiden University. I teach the course "Transdisciplinary Skills"in the Master Governance of Sustainability, and the courses "Introduction" and "Earth Science in the Anthropocene" in the Bachelor Science for Sustainable Societies. In addition, I provide guest lectures in other courses and other universities, including Isabela State University in the Philippines. I am a wildlife photographer and writer of more than 100 scientific and popular articles on Philippine wildlife including three coffee table books.
Lecturer of the courses Transdisciplinary Skills in the Master Governance of Sustainability (since 2020) and the Introduction and Earth Science in the Anthropocene courses in the Bachelor Science for Sustainable Societies (since 2025). From 2011 - 2020 I organized the annual interdisciplinary and international water course / area study Philippines for the Institute of Environmental Sciences and the Department of Antropology of Leiden University in collaboration with Isabela State University in the Philippines.
Surveys of bird, bat, amphibian, reptile, fish and dragonfly diversity in northern Luzon, Philippines. Research on the impact of land use change and hunting on wildlife in Luzon. Modeling of bird distributions and the impact of climate change on birds in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Supervision of Dutch, English and Philippine BSc and MSc students.
Personnel and financial management of the field station. Supervision of and assistance to Philippine and international undergraduate, graduate and PhD students. Representation of the field station in meetings, workshops and conferences. Management of the activities of the field station.
Personnel and financial management of Mabuwaya. Fund raising. Networking and communication. Reporting. Representing Mabuwaya in conferences, workshops and meetings. Overall management of the activities of the Mabuwaya Foundation.
Biodiversity surveys in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP), Philippines. Establisment of a biodiversity monitoring system. Design and implementation of species and habitat conservation programs in the NSMNP. Co-writing of the NSMNP management plan. Training of wildlife associates. Supervision of students. Financial management of the wildlife component of the NSMNP-Conservation Project. Member of the technical management team of the NSMNP-Conservation Project.
Research of fish migration in the Lake Chad area. Water bird counts in the Waza-Logone floodplain. Mammal counts in the Waza National Park. Ecological studies of the Black Crowned Crane. Assistance to establishment of the Waza National Park visitors centre.