User:Beriali/sandbox/Nicolas Tubbs

Nicolas Tubbs Nicolas Erik Neal Tubbs is a franco-english ecologist who has worked in international conservation and sustainable development often in fairly extreme settings and for numerous organisations, most notably WWF, Fauna & Flora International, RSPB-BirdLife International and Wetlands International.

Education Nicolas was born in Grenoble, France where he also earned his first university degree in Biology, with a particular emphasis on Botany and Evolutionary Biology. He went on to specialise in Ethology-Animal Behaviour in Tours, France and completed his academic curriculum at Leiden University, The Netherlands, in Biodiversity and Sustainability. It is for Leiden University that he researched the critically endangered Philippine Crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) with a particular interest in this freshwater species' use of caves in the peak of the typhoon season in a typhoon hotspot.

Career As Nicolas' field work took him to areas far and wide, from the Republic of the Congo to far Eastern Russia, he became increasingly interested in the nexus between conservation and development. He has kept a deep interest for and commitment to species and ecosystems conservation, whilst harnessing sustainable solutions for the most disenfranchised and most vulnerable. As such, he led the development of the very first REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deroforestation and Forest Degradation) Project in Western Africa <1, 2>, from design to certification to the leading standards on the carbon voluntary market. This work was awarded particular recognition for its delivery of biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation. It also evidenced direct positive impact to the livleihoods of 24,000 people. In conjunction to this, he led the development of a shade grown, rainforest friendly cocoa value chain which resulted in organic chocolate being sold on the premium market internationally <3>. He was also involved in various microloan schemes, conservation trust funds and revolving fund mechanisms. Nicolas is known for thinking outside the box, evidencing how conservation and natural resources management more widely are intrinsinctly linked to human health, well being and more simply our very own survival. Nicolas has said that each and every one of us are the custodians of the natural world we live in, we each have a role and a responsibility to act, together. Whether it be at the frontline of an Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone (2014) or amidst South Sudan's civil conflict (2018) <4, 5>, Nicolas sees conservation efforts as a cornerstone to our humanity.

Personal Life Nicolas is married, 4 children.