Our Team

CONSERVATIONIST

Armando Dans is a conservationist from Nicaragua and the coordinator of the Nicaragua Tapir Project. He graduated as an Agroforestry Engineer and holds a post-graduate diploma in International Wildlife Conservation from Oxford University. Pursuing a PhD at Michigan State University, Armando collaborates with Indigenous and Afro-descendant territories to protect Nicaragua’s biodiversity, focusing on the Baird’s tapir. He has established patrol groups in the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve and aims to combine scientific and local knowledge to improve habitat management and conservation efforts.

RE:WILD LATIN AMERICAN DIRECTOR

Christopher Jordan is the Latin America Director for Re:wild. As a researcher and conservationist, he specializes in mammal conservation, protected area security, and indigenous peoples’ conservation in Latin America. Chris has extensive field experience across multiple countries and aims to impact conservation from local to global scales. He has a long term passion for the Baird's tapir, has has been involved with BTSA since its founding. Chris holds a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies, a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation, and a PhD from Michigan State University.

RE:WILD SENIOR MESOAMERICA ASSOCIATE

Esteban Brenes Mora is the Senior Mesoamerica Associate for Re:wild and a Costa Rican biologist with extensive conservation experience in Central America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. He advocates for global tapir conservation and is a member of the IUCN Tapir Specialist Group. Esteban’s 2015 thesis research focused on Baird’s tapirs in Costa Rica’s Talamanca highlands. He founded Nai Conservation and co-founded the Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation. His current work with Re:wild involves community-based conservation and restoration programs in Mesoamerica.

VETERINARIAN, PhD

Jorge Rojas is a Costa Rican veterinarian and program manager of Nai Conservation within the Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation. He graduated in 2018 from the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Jorge’s interest in tapirs began in veterinary school after examining a tapir killed in a vehicle collision, which inspired his thesis focused on fecal bacteria antibiotic resistance in tapirs. He is active in Baird’s tapir research and conservation and is a member of the IUCN Tapir Specialist Group. Jorge recently completed a Doctorate at the University of Georgia, studying tapir population ecology. He has also been an active member of initiatives to prevent tapir crop-raiding and promote coexistence between tapirs and farmers throughout Costa Rica.

BIOLOGIST AND PROFESSOR

Nereyda is a biologist from Honduras. She holds a MSc in Biology from the University of Costa Rica where she studied the ecology of large mammals. Currently, she is a professor at the School of Biology of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, where she teaches Zoology and Wildlife Management, and she has previously worked for the Honduran government and Panthera. Over the last 15 years, she has worked in conservation, land planning, and wildlife research and management in Honduras. Since 2002, she has been the Honduras coordinator of the IUCN Tapir Specialist Group, and has been instrumental in developing a National Action Plan for the Baird’s Tapir in Honduras.

COORDINATOR CONSULTANT

Magdalia Campobasso is a consultant for Re:wild coordinating BTSA collaborations. She has a background in engineering and a long-standing passion for tapirs. Her diverse experience includes solar energy reliability testing and establishing manufacturing facilities in Kisumu, Kenya. In 2023, she supported the Nai Conservation program of the Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation. Magdalia’s skills in quality improvement, project management, and impact tracking enhance her conservation work. She plans collaborative projects, develops funding strategies, and raises awareness for BTSA, promoting member collaboration and impact.

BIOLOGIST AND PROFESSOR

Manolo García is a Guatemalan biologist and research professor at San Carlos University, serving as a Zoologist at the Centro de Datos para la Conservación. He is the Species Coordinator for Baird’s tapir in the IUCN Tapir Specialist Group. Since 2006, Manolo has researched the conservation status of the Baird’s tapir in Guatemala, focusing on the Maya Biosphere Reserve. In recent years, he has developed biological monitoring programs focused on waterholes and associated fauna as well as conducting environmental education for primary school students and tourism guides in rural communities surrounding tapir habitat.

BIOLOGIST

Marina Rivero, a Mexican biologist, collaborates with Bioconciencia A.C. and coordinates the Tapires de la Sierra project. With a bachelor’s degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a master’s from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Marina has contributed to conservation projects involving jaguars, white-lipped peccaries, and bats. Tapires de la Sierra focuses on Baird's tapir conservation in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas highlands, addressing threats like habitat loss, forest fires, and poaching. Marina works with local communities to develop conservation strategies, striving to mitigate threats and protect tapir populations.

ECOLOGIST, PhD

Ninon Meyer holds a PhD in Ecology and Sustainable Development from ECOSUR, Mexico, and has been passionate about large herbivores since childhood. Her interest in tapirs grew during her Master's Thesis in Panama in 2011 where she observed threats to the species and the need for collaborative conservation. While immersed in the Indigenous Emberá culture, she identified strategies to benefit communities and wildlife. As coordinator of Tapir Panama, Ninon collaborates with Indigenous communities in Darién, implementing SMART Patrols to reduce hunting, provide data for law enforcement, and foster inclusion of indigenous people in park management . She also serves as Panama's IUCN Tapir Specialist Group coordinator, and is dedicated to developing country-wide conservation strategies.

BIOLOGIST, PhD

Wilber Martinez is a biologist from Orange Walk, Belize, and a research associate with the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation Belize. He manages the Runaway Creek Reserve in the Maya Forest Corridor. His doctoral thesis focused on the spatial ecology and conservation of Baird’s tapir in central Belize. Wilber’s research includes capturing and radio-collaring tapirs to study their movement, habitat preferences, and home ranges. He also conducts environmental education with local students, promoting conservation awareness of Belize's national animal, the Baird’s tapir.