Of Belgian nationality, he has lived and worked since 1995 in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He has a degree in Biology and obtained his PhD in marine biology from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). Between 1995 and 2000 he held the position of coordinator of inter-university cooperation between Flemish universities (VLIR) and the Universidad Mayor de San Simón (Cochabamba, Bolivia). He is a researcher of aquatic fauna and his greatest interest is the development of management and conservation strategies for renewable natural resources. He occasionally works as a consultant in other countries in South America and Africa. He currently serves as Executive Director of FAUNAGUA, an applied research institute located in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He is an honorary professor at the Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS).

Role in PPV II: Principal Investigator (PI). Topics of interest: Scientific research on aquatic resources; Strategic planning for the conservation and management of renewable natural resources; Environmental Impact Assessments.

Dr. Joachim Carolsfeld (Yogi), Executive Director of WFT since 2006, earned his PhD working on pheromones and fish reproduction, after completing a Master's degree in invertebrate neurophysiology and a Bachelor of Science in marine biology. His extensive experience includes work in fishing and fish farming (with extensive experience in Brazil), environmental studies, boat mechanic, and diving instructor. Over the past two decades, he has dedicated himself to applying his diverse technical expertise in the social sciences to design and implement multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder projects for the improvement of environmental conservation and equitable livelihoods.

Role in PPV II: Principal Investigator (PI). Topics of interest: technological innovations in fish farming and fishing, exchanges and training with Brazil, Theory of Change and scaling-up.

Widen Abastoflor Sauma, born in Sucre, lives in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. He is a Chemical Engineer (1984) and has a Diploma in Rural Business Development from CATIE Costa Rica (2013). He is Founder of CEPAC, a specialist in food safety and value chains. Currently, she leads local economic development projects, coordinates livelihood studies, design of the pacú cultivation value chain in Yapacaní, launching a small-scale fish farming project with women in Yapacaní, Bolivia, as a promising initiative which is solving the socioeconomic difficulties of poor families and providing local employment opportunities and significant income to the municipal territory. Coordinates the mainstreaming of the gender approach and the use of ICT in CEPAC and in different development projects carried out by the institution.

Role in PPV II: Principal Investigator (PI), Topics of interest: technological innovations in fish farming, development of a network of extension agents, gender focus and use of ICT.

Luis Enrique Badani is an engineer and Legal Representative of IMG Consulting. He resides in Cochabamba, Bolivia, from Madrid – Spain. He is an Industrial Engineer with specialization in the food industry and textile industry, as well as a Master's Degree in Business Administration. He has worked as a plant engineer and development consultant for 20 years. During this time, and after having founded his own firm, IMG Consulting, Mr. Badani has developed skills, knowledge and competencies in different areas, such as: Planning and Strategy in all its areas (business, institutional, sectoral and territorial - municipal, departmental and national-), Competitiveness, Productive Development, Rural Development, Local Economic Development, Comprehensive Productive Complexes, Articulation and Management of Public-Private Multi-Stakeholder Platforms, Business Management, Strengthening of MSMEs and New Entrepreneurships. During the last 12 years, Mr. Badani has been involved in more than 80 programs/projects in the aforementioned areas, in both urban and rural settings. He has work experience in Latin America and Africa.

Role in PPV II: Principal Investigator (PI); Strategic management and general coordination of activities and tasks to fulfill the planned and delegated results in your work team (IMG), as well as the achievement of the specific objectives of the program.

Mark Flaherty earned his PhD from McMaster University and is a Lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria. His research area focuses on the social and environmental impacts of coastal aquaculture development in communities in tropical developing countries. His most recent projects have been in Thailand, India and Brazil. Mark is Co-Director of the Southern Ocean Education and Development project: Building Sustainable Aquaculture in Mozambique (2007-2013) (funded by CIDA/DFATD) in collaboration with Eduardo Mondale University in Mozambique and Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. He is co-director and co-founder of the Tropical Initiatives for Coastal Aquaculture Research and Training (CART) network.

More about Dr. Flaherty: UVic – Research and Publications

Role in PPV II: Principal Investigator (PI). Topic of interest: aquaculture and food security. Knowledge: Statistical analysis.

Tiffanie Rainville is from Ottawa, Canada, and completed her Bachelor of Science (B. Sc. H.) in Biology and Health (Queen's University (2005). Her Master's Degree in Environmental Studies (Dalhousie University (2010) took her to two coastal areas of Ecuador, where she studied the impacts and perceptions of climate change on mangrove ecosystems and fishing communities. Tiffanie worked on the Fish for Life project (2011-2014) where she lived in Riberalta working with fishermen from the TCO TIM II, and in Yapacaní dealing with the issue of Fish Farming with CEPAC.

Role in PPV II: Technician and Researcher (70%- Topics of interest: Theory of Change, fish farming and participatory research, gender) and Canada Project Manager (30%- coordination with UVIC, WFT and Bolivia, exchanges with Brazil)

Verónica R. Hinojosa Sardán, Graduate in Economics with a Master's degree in Socio-Environmental Economics completed at the Research and Teaching Center (CATIE) of Costa Rica. He has extensive experience in Local Economic Development Projects, Business Development, Strengthening and Development of Productive Chains, Preparation of baseline studies, market studies. She has worked on the design of gender mainstreaming in CEPAC development programs and strengthening of producer organizations.

Role in PPV II: Specialist Technician in Organizational Strengthening, economic analysis of fish farming and mainstreaming of the gender approach.

Álvaro Céspedes R. is an engineer and Development Manager at IMG Consulting. He resides in the city of Cochabamba – Bolivia. He has extensive knowledge in fish farming and fishing; with more than 11 years of experience working in participatory development processes; has developed capabilities and skills in the design, planning, implementation and management of sector strategies using the approach of Comprehensive Productive Complexes, influencing the leading role of the actors based on extensive knowledge of the environment and the public and private entities involved in fishing and fish farming directly and indirectly.

Role in PPV II: Researcher and Project Manager; Articulation and strengthening of actors and organizations; operational coordination and technical support to achieve the proposed results.

Monica McIsaac is from Bogotá, Colombia and lives in Victoria, Canada where she obtained her Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.) at the University of Victoria. She has worked as a biologist in the areas of fishery resource evaluation and environmental restoration. Mónica has worked in private companies as well as in non-governmental organizations in administrative and technical areas. Among his various contributions is his technical performance in the retraining of former commercial fishermen displaced from the fishing industry in coastal areas of British Columbia.

Role in PPV II: Administrator for World Fisheries Trust (WFT) and the University of Victoria (UVic).

Of Bolivian nationality and an Industrial Engineer by training, he has been working for 14 years in the design and development of productive projects, training and support for production and service microenterprises in rural areas, peasant and indigenous communities.

Role in PPV II: Technician and researcher in value chains. You will coordinate financial, market, training and research interactions between FAUNAGUA and project partners, as well as local and public beneficiaries.