Who we are

Arie has a background in botany and landscape ecology. He has more than 10 years of experience in conservation including research, natural resource management and certification. Prior to joining the HCV Network, Arie worked as an FSC FM certification coordinator at Rainforest Alliance Asia Pacific. He has also worked in development aid projects for mangrove conservation in East Kalimantan under the CIM/GIZ returning expert program. Arie has completed formal FSC and SAN Lead Auditor trainings and has conducted numerous FSC, SAN and Timber Legality verification audits/assessments in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Lao, PDR, Singapore and PNG. He graduated from the University of Hohenheim, Germany.Arie is based in Bali, Indonesia and is fluent in English, German and Bahasa Indonesia.

For more than 12 years, Arif has applied his expertise in Remote Sensing and GIS for Natural Resource Management and Environment, including in Forestry and Conservation, both in the context of landscape ecosystems and species. During this period, Arif worked with the Ministry of Forestry and the Environment related to the REDD project. In addition, he has also worked at BIOREF, ICRAF, Wetland International Indonesia, Daemeter, and Hatfield Indonesia with work sectors related to Land Use Land Cover Change, Conservation, Peatland, Mangrove, Payment for Environmental Services, and Forest Carbon Projects. Arif has carried out HCV assessments since 2010 from an assistant's expert level, and now he is an HCV ALS Lead Assessor and HCSA Practitioner. Arif now lives in Indonesia and speaks Indonesian and English.

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Arkian has a passion for sustainability and climate change with over 7 years of experience in campaigning on sustainability and forestry. Prior to joining the HCV Network, Arkian has experience working with the private sector in its sustainability program, while also have the experience in lobbying and campaigning with other NGO such as Greenpeace Indonesia. Other than the love for campaigning, Arkian also has experience in audits such as FSC Chain of Custody, Rainforest Alliance, as well as experience within Fairtrade certifications. Graduated out of University of Idaho, United States of America with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science, he is based in Jakarta, Indonesia and is fluent in both English and Bahasa Indonesia.

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An environmental lawyer by background, Belinda has spent the last 15 years working in leadership and management positions with the UN, corporates, social businesses and non-profits in Africa, Asia and the UK. A seasoned sustainability and development professional, Belinda has a wide-range of sector experience, including natural resource management, social impact, climate change, human rights, public health, education, livelihoods, technology, innovation and systems change. She was awarded a presidential medal in recognition of her work with UNEP in Afghanistan from 2003-2010. Belinda has three postgraduate degrees, including a MBA, a commercial law degree and a masters in environmental law and policy. Belinda is South African, and currently lives in the UK.

Celia has over 30 years’ experience in finance working in a wide range of industries, including scientific research, medicine and manufacturing as well as in practice. She trained with one of the top 10 Accountancy firms in London before moving into industry. She now runs her own accountancy and tax practice and assists the Secretariat on a part time basis. She is based in the UK.

Dongdong is currently a PhD student in Sustainable Construction from Bartlett School UCL and holds a master’s degree in Business Management from The University of Edinburgh Business School. She has previous experience in the construction and commercial real estate sectors, where she helped multinational brands on corporate properties’ pro-environmental and pro-social certifications (LEED and WELL) and provided energy-saving design consultancy for high-end hotels and office buildings in China. She has several years of experience in project management (PRINCE2 Practitioner accreditation) and possesses a mixed professional background in both industry and academia. Dongdong is passionate about sustainability, especially from the perspective of organizational behavior and psychology and will ensure sustainable operations at the HCV Network Secretariat. Dongdong is based in London and is fluent in English and native to Chinese Mandarin.

Felicia Lasmana is a conservation biologist based in Indonesia, specialized on bats and other mammals. Felly has over 10 years’ experience with baseline surveys, investment due diligence, policy analysis and development, conservation management, and High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and MSc in Environmental Sciences at Padjadjaran University, Indonesia and MSc in Conservation Biology from University of Kent, UK. She has been trained in in forestry, tropical ecology, ecosystem services and sustainable agriculture in Malaysia, China, and Indonesia. Felly is an ALS Fully Licensed HCV assessor (ALS14007FL), a Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Lead Auditor and an Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) approved auditor. She has been involved in HCV assessments and lead biodiversity surveys specialized in mammals in forestry and oil palm in Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar since 2012.

Jess is from Congo-Brazzaville. He is an ecologist specialised in tropical forests. Having completed his professional licence at the University of Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, over 5 years he gained valuable experience in deliveringon-the-ground research projects, in conservation programmes in the forested landscapes of northern Congo and southern Cameroon. Recently, he has completed his masters studies in tropical ecology at the Science Department of Montpellier, and he is looking forward to bringing these skills to scale-up the application of the HCV approach in the Congo Basin.  

He is based in Congo and speaks French.

With a background in Environmental Sciences, Jimena has extensive experience in sustainable supply chains certifications, as an auditor and as the technical manager of a certification scheme. She has experience with the coordination of multi-stakeholder processes and with managing complex projects. Jimena is based in Argentina and speaks fluent Spanish and English, and moderate Portuguese.

Julia considers herself a sustainability and conservation strategist, implementer and advocate. She has experience in natural resources, including in exploration geology and mining for two large mining houses, and moved into international environmental law and policy with a particular focus on stewardship of the environment. Joining WWF in 2007 she led work on global forest management and trade in the UK including forest certification, with diverse businesses, civil society and government actors, before leading strategy and engagement as Director of Global Forest Sector Transformation for the WWF network until mid 2022. She's lived and worked in southern Africa, the UK, and is now based in Sweden. Julia has a BSc. in Geology from Kingston University London, an MSc. in Sedimentology and its applications from Reading University, a Legal Masters in Environmental Law from Dundee University Scotland, and certificate in Organizational Leadership from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Karina originates from New Zealand and moved to Scotland in 2007 for travel. Karina has worked within the third sector for over 16 years in various finance supporting roles and has rich experience working with Social Enterprises for 13 years, including a Mental Health & Wellbeing Charity for 3 years. Karina hopes to bring her experience and expertise to support the team going forward.

Karina is UK-based and native to English.

Nev is a forestry and conservation specialist with over 25-years experience. A graduate of Ecology from Leeds, and Forestry from Aberdeen, he started his career in the early 90’s with conservation volunteering in the UK and Vietnam, and then in the Mentawai Islands and Asmat in Indonesia. After managing conservation programs in Papua, he established company to provide HCV assessment services to the private sector to improving natural resource management. More recently, he has led technical implementation for donor projects incorporating a landscape scale HCV approach for improved protected area management, conservation planning and implementation, spatial planning and sustainable development. Nev is a keen ornithologist, bikepacker and paraglider pilot.

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Olivia joined the HCV Network after many years of managing landscape-level conservation projects mostly in Africa, but also in South America and Australia. She is an expert in wildlife protection and monitoring and brought these skills to recent HCV assessments she contributed to in Central Africa. Before formally joining the Secretariat team, Olivia supported the HCV Network with HCV-HCSA assessment training for Licensed Assessors and as an independent member of the Quality Panel. Olivia has a Masters and PhD in Tropical Ecology from the Natural History Museum, Imperial College and Plymouth University. Olivia is based in France and speaks English and French.

Rifat is a passionate conservationist with experience in landscape-level initiatives and community conservation. He is specialized in HCV and HCV-HCSA assessments, implementation of the HCV Approach at the landscape level, and spatial data analysis. Before joining the HCV Network, Rifat worked with Proforest in transforming environmental and social conditions with local communities, governments, and companies in several landscapes in Riau, Indonesia. He holds an MSc. in Forest and Nature Conservation Policy from Wageningen University. Rifat is based in Indonesia and speaks Bahasa Indonesia and English.

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Rod is the Global Director of the Forests Program, with oversight of Global Forest Watch, the Forest Legality Initiative and the Global Restoration Initiative, at the World Resources Institute (WRI). Previously he was Director for Forests at WWF International and provided oversight of WWF’s work on forest conservation and its engagement with the private sector through the Global Forest Trade Network and the New Generation Plantations Project. He was the Editor in Chief of WWF’s ‘Forests for a Living Planet’ series. For several years he worked as a forest policy advisor in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. He began his career as a lawyer in Australia and has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Law from the Australian National University. Rod is a Legal Director of the Network since 2015.

Ruth is an anthropologist with more than 20 years of experience in sustainable development and conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. She has worked for WWF and OXFAM GB on implementing projects and programmes focused on forest governance, FSC certification, sustainable livelihoods, natural resources management, community development, and equitable alliances between communities and the private sector. With WWF, she supported community forest certification, the implementation of the stepwise approach to certification, and the development of the national standards for Brazil Nut Certification in Peru. She has also worked with Rainforest Alliance in several assessments and peer reviews under the FSC standard. Ruth graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. She is based in the UK and speaks English and Spanish.

Stephan has been dedicated to nature conservation from an early age on. While still being a student, he participated in conservation projects in the Netherlands, Ireland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Senegal since the 1980’s. He holds a bachelor degree in Tropical Forestry and a master degree in Landscape Ecology. He moved to Indonesia in the early 1990’s to follow his professional dedication first for a mangrove restoration project, and later on for more than 20 years as a conservation director for WWF. For several years he conducted biodiversity expeditions to remote areas in Borneo and coordinated long-term applied research at field stations. He contributed to the development of comprehensive management plans for national parks and conservation landscapes, engaging with all stakeholders and ensuring the participation of local communities. Stephan started to apply the HCV approach soon after it was initiated as a basis for environmental impact assessments and recommendations of buffer zones and plantation areas surrounded by natural forests throughout Indonesia. Stephan is based in the Netherlands and speaks English, Indonesian and Dutch.

Yamila has a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences. She is a GIS and Remote Sensing specialist with over 15 years of experience in environmental and land use projects. Her interest in biodiversity conservation has been the driving force of her vocation since her childhood. She participated as a remote sensing and spatial analysis specialist in various environmental projects, most of them in the public area and promoted by the United Nations System. Prior to joining the HCV Network Secretariat, Yamila was part of the implementation of the Argentinian Deforestation Early Warning System. She has solid knowledge of field-related geographic mapping and data compilation. Yamila is based in Argentina and speaks Spanish and English.

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