Mr Merlijn VAN WEERD

Wildlife Biologist, Leiden University (Netherlands) & Mabuwaya Foundation (Philippines)

I am a wildlife biologist with a keen interest to improve the effectivity of biodiversity conservation by meaningfully and sustainably engaging local communities and local governments. With over 25 years of experience in the Philippines and in Cameroon, I have seen many conservation attempts fail. I believe for conservation to be effective, we have to develop programs where environmental conservation becomes a natural and important part of everyone's life. This includes convincing everyone, from the current slash-and-burn farmer to the newly elected Governor, that change from unsustainable use of resources and land to a more sustainable way of living is absolutely and immediately necessary, and possible. For this, we have to think out of the box, and make use of transdisciplinary approaches, including the use of innovative technologies.