ZooMap team
Germany
Prof. Dr. Denise Margaret S. Matias, Professor and ZooMap Principal Investigator, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
Prof. Dr. Denise Margaret Matias is a Professor at the Department of Forest, Wood, and Environment at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. Denise previously held research and postdoctoral positions in projects focusing on grasslands sustainability in Mongolia, climate change adaptation, and indigenous forestry livelihoods in the Philippines. In 2024, she was recognised as one of six Planet Earth Awardeesby the Alliance of World Scientists (AWS) for her outreach work with Indigenous communities in the Philippines and was also given the Kalayaan Award from the Philippine Embassy in Berlin. She is also currently a Senior Fellow of the Manila Observatory, a Fellow of the Samdhana Institute, and a member of Scientific Advisory Panel of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development. (Photo ©Florian Reischauer)
Bryan Joel Mariano, Researcher, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
Bryan Joel Mariano is a researcher at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development and a PhD student at the Faculty of Sustainability in Leuphana University of Lüneburg. His research explores biodiversity conservation, human-wildlife relations, and more-than-human politics, with a particular focus on the critically endangered Philippine pangolin in Palawan Biosphere Reserve. He uses transdisciplinary and social-ecological approaches to examine interactions among communities, institutions, knowledge systems, and wildlife. Before moving to Germany, he served as a senior lecturer in science communication and knowledge management at the University of the Philippines, and worked in the forest conservation sector for both government and non-profit organisations in the Philippines.
Yen-You Lin, ZooMap Project Coordinator, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
Yen-You Lin is a project coordinator (and environmental researcher) at the Biosphere Reserves Institute at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Germany. His work explores biodiversity conservation, sustainable land use, and socio-ecological change, with particular interest in the connections between people, wildlife, food systems, and environmental health. Drawing on experience in interdisciplinary research projects, international collaboration, and science-based event organisation, he supports initiatives that connect ecological knowledge with practical approaches to sustainability and resilience.
Mongolia
Dr. Ganzorig Gonchigsumlaa, Professor and ZooMap co-PI, Mongolian University of Life Sciences
Ganzorig Gonchigsumlaa is a Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Mongolian University of Life Sciences (MULS). He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Georg-August-University Goettingen, an MSc in Environmental Economics from the University of Manchester, and an MBA and BSc. in Economics from MULS. With extensive experience as a consultant for UNEP, UNDP, FAO, World Bank, and WWF, among others, Ganzorig specialises in environmental economics, green economy, agricultural economics, livestock production competitiveness, valuation of ecosystem services, and policy analysis. His research and consultancy work focus on sustainability, agriculture, and climate resilience, particularly in Mongolia and Central Asia.
Dr. Amar Uuld, Associate Professor and ZooMap Post-doctoral Researcher, Mongolian University of Life Sciences
Amar Uuld is the Head of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the School of Economics and Business in Mongolian University of Life Sciences. She holds a PhD in Business Administration from the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Management from MULS, and a BA in International Economics from the National University of Mongolia. Her research in ZooMap focuses on marmot trade chain analysis, particularly consumption and supply chains. Her areas of expertise include agricultural economics, agricultural market development, project monitoring and evaluation, and climate change adaptation. Her research focuses on efficiency analysis, sustainable agriculture, agricultural value chains, and the economics of vegetable production, with a particular emphasis on strengthening the climate resilience and sustainability of Mongolia’s agricultural sector.
Enkh-Amgalan Gurjav, Senior Lecturer and ZooMap PhD student, Mongolian University of Life Sciences
Enkh-Amgalan Gurjav is a Senior Lecturer in Department of Statistics and Econometrics at the School of Economics and Business, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, and Director of the Institute of Natural Resources and Agricultural Economics (INRAE NGO). He holds a MSc in Business Administration from the MULS and a BA in Economics and Statistics from the MULS. His professional experience covers agricultural and livestock sector development, export competitiveness, rural livelihoods, climate change adaptation, protected-area economic valuation, agribusiness, and agricultural value-chain development. He has also extensive experience in capacity building and investment planning, including long-term experience as a trainer of the FAO Rural Invest Toolkit.
Philippines
Prof. Marilyn Baaco, Professor and ZooMap co-PI, Palawan State University
Prof. Marilyn C. Baaco is a faculty member of Palawan State University in Brooke’s Point Campus. Her research and academic work encompass higher education, institutional sustainability, community development, agriculture, and environmental and natural resource management.
Maria Tanya Conlu, Researcher, ZooMap Philippines
Maria Tanya Conlu is a conservationist and an Indigenous Peoples’ rights advocate. She has over 25 years of experience in development work in Asia and Africa, focusing on forest conservation and management, particularly non-timber forest products and cave ecosystems. She has worked on various projects in Palawan for the last 15 years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Environment and Natural Resources Management and has written and facilitated various training modules. She is currently the Regional Facilitator for Southeast Asia of the Indigenous-Led Education (ILED) Network and an honorary member of the ICCA Consortium.
Sharah Marie Barredo, Research Assistant, ZooMap Philippines
Sharah Marie A. Barredo is a BS Aquatic Biology graduate currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Marine Biology at Western Philippines University, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. She has been involved in various research and conservation projects, mainly focusing on marine conservation, biodiversity, and community-based research. She is currently a Research Assistant for ZooMap where she leads and facilitates focus group discussions (FGDs) in Puerto Princesa City. Her previous experience includes marine turtle conservation, coastal and marine ecosystem research, and coordination of community and stakeholder engagements. Through her work, she aims to contribute to research and conservation efforts that support the sustainable management and protection of natural ecosystems.
Former ZooMap team members
Neliza Bacani-Tabi
Azenegash Abebe Belachew
John Vincent Colili
Sugar Damdindorj
Belinda Effah
Jana Gengelbach
Uurtsaih Gerelt-Od
Chiara Graziella Loor
Stephanie Murr
Amarmend Otgonbayar
Joey Ace Peralta
Farah Sevilla
Eunice Karla Souza
Munkh-Od Sukhbaatar