ADB, BirdLife International Affirm Commitment to Protect and Sustainably Manage Biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific

Bottom left: BirdLife International CEO Martin Harper, MDG Woochong Um, Special Senior Advisor on Climate Change Warren Evans
Top left: Environment Officer Karen Ochavo, Environment Director Yoko Watanabe, CCSD Director General Bruno Carrasco, BirdLife Regional Director (Asia) Vinayagan Dharmarajah, and Senior Environment Specialist Duncan Lang

Karen Grace Ochavo

Karen is an Environment Officer under the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department of the Asian Development Bank. Her current role supports the Regional Flyway Initiative, a large-scale transboundary program that seeks to mobilize investments to protect, restore, and sustainably manage a comprehensive network of threatened wetlands along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway of migratory waterbirds. Karen has combined work experience in environmental sustainability and safeguards, water resources, clean energy and climate finance sectors.

Yoon Lee

Yoon is the External Relations Manager at the EAAFP Secretariat, where she leads resourcing strategy and external partnerships. With over a decade of experience in development organizations, she has managed environmental and development programs across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, focusing on climate change, biodiversity, and poverty reduction.

Doug Watkins

Doug has 30 years of international experience in migratory waterbirds and wetland conservation. He has represented three Partners of EAAFP, firstly with his representation for Australasian Wader Study Group (AWSG) from 1993 to 1995. Doug then moved on wearing the hat of Wetlands International between 1995 and 2013. Most recently he worked with Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) secretariat as EAAF Coordinator for its Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative (AMBI) between 2018 and 2019.