An Interdisciplinary professional with 18+ years of international experience in development projects, spearheading research initiatives and institutional development related to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, seeks challenging opportunities. |
Contact Elsa Sattout
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Area of Expertise: |
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Agriculture, Livelihoods, Microfinance, Rural
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Capacity Building, Training, Advocacy
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Environment, Climate, Energy, Water, Sanitation
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Fundraising, Business Development, Grants Writer
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Government, Governance, Reforms
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Professional Experience: |
In 1998, I started working as principal investigator on biodiversity conservation related projects in the context of internationally funded projects. I have been part of teams who designed biodiversity assessment methodologies and approaches, developed flora and fauna monitoring programmes in Protected Areas (PAs), supported in the development of PAs strategies and built local capacities on their implementations.
Since 2000, I have been serving international and national organizations (i.e. UNEP, UNDP, IUCN, GIZ, Blue Plan, World Bank, GreenLine) as Regional and National Coordinator and Director on projects related to the implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). I am recognized for making major contributions to MEAs implementation and in supporting related initiatives and thematic programmes. Thus, I have strong expertise in all aspects of projects’ design, management, coordination and implementation. In 2007, I was appointed UNEP Regional Advisor to build institutional capacities on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Asia.
Lately, I have developed the national Biosafety Framework of Oman, Biosafety and access and benefit sharing laws, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) of Bahrain, and aligned it with Aichi Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I identified ways to establish Private Public Partnerships to secure fund for the NBSAP’s implementation. In 2015, I have also been selected as a leading author on the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO6) of west Asia. On another level, I have identified pilot projects and developed proposals either within the context of national projects or while supporting local NGOs, those succeeded in getting either national or international funds.
Since 2007, I have been working as part-time or full-time faculty member at Lebanese renowned universities. I have designed and taught courses on Biodiversity Conservation, Marine Biology, Research Methods in Biology, Environmental Economy, Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Ethics, Ecology and Landscape Ecology, Plant Identification and Gardening and Sustainable environment. These courses are addressed to students from a wide range of disciplines. I have developed a Master program on Sustainable Environmental Management and designed courses for MSc. program on Urban Planning.
I have proven expertise in finding ways to communicate messages to different groups of society while using various tools and approaches. I have published a first in a series of books, chapter in books and articles in peer-reviewed journals. I have developed outreach materials and projects’ newsletters and published articles in magazines. Those are related to biodiversity conservation, nature reserves, domestic tourism and value of nature for human well-being. I have been working on the management and moderation of regional and national networks and list-servers.
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Education: |
An agriculture engineer graduated from the University of Holy Spirit- Kaslik in Lebanon, I have got an MSc. degree in Natural Products- Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity from ICAMAS, Greece. I am a PhD holder from the University of Reading in the UK. During my PhD, I have worked on the perspectives for sustainable management of Lebanese cedar forests. A multidisciplinary research study involved the biological, ecological, social, economic and legal aspects of the conservation of cedar forests in Lebanon. My MSc. involved ecogeographic and ethnobotany studies of aromatic and medicinal endemic plants in Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve in Lebanon. It relied on ecological assessment, mapping and defining their ecological niches as well as adopting participatory approaches with local communities to identify their local uses. My first research study executed for the obtention of Agriculture Engineer Diploma investigated the antifungal and antibacterial effects of Origanum syriacum. It involved the extraction of essential oil, its GC analysis and the testing of its effects on fungus and bacteria. Further to my PhD study, I have worked as principal investigator while conceiving and leading internationally funded applied research and development projects on biodiversity, ecological and forest resources assessments, biodiversity monitoring and indicators; biodiversity conservation and management and valuation of ecosystem services.
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Affiliations and Achievements: |
Active member of the Lebanese Order of Engineers and Architects. I am affiliated to international committees and IUCN commissions and networks working on livelihoods and ecosystem approach, protected areas and forests. In 2013, I joined the UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Indicator Partnership Facilitators network to provide scientific and technical capacity to countries in the identification process of biodiversity indicators.
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Available for: |
- Consulting assignments
- Job opportunities
- Being headhunted – make me an offer
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