Loreto’s parents are from a different province where a different language is spoken but Loreto feels Palaweňo through and through. He is a rather silent and shy person but not when it comes to the protection of forest, watershed and wildlife in Mendoza. Loreto is one of the first who started working with Katala Foundation for the protection of the forest in Mendoza.
Garry was born in Mendoza and that is where he is raising his family. He is the only person among the wardens who entered college but had to stop after 3 years when his first child was on its way. He decided to become a warden so that he could stay close to his family while at the same time do something to conserve the remaining forest and its wildlife.
Gerald is the son of the late Ramito Gabuco, who worked as a Katala Foundation warden until Ramito was killed in a motorbike accident. His mother wanted him to be the successor of his father so that he could support her and his younger siblings. As a former forest user, he is very familiar with wildlife and can provide important information for conservation purposes.
Mark is among the youngest wildlife enforcement officers in Mendoza. Prior to his current work, he worked on a farm and was engaged in the collection of non-forest products – mainly rattan. For him, his job is both a source of income and is tied to conservation outcomes.
Robert is a farmer from Mendoza. Before the watershed in Mendoza became protected, he used to hunt wildlife illegally and harvest rattan from the area. He switched to working in the conservation site, as this could provide him with a sustainable/legal income.
The forest is Ronald’s home, where he played as a child, and started harvesting resources (illegally) when he became a teenager. He is very familiar with the flora and fauna of the forest in Mendoza. Most, if not all of his relatives are against the protected area and related conservation measures of Katala Foundation in Mendoza. Ronald, however, sees the importance of conservation as he hopes for a better future for his children.
Candido is a native from Palawan and resident of the village of Mendoza in Roxas. Before he started working with Katala Foundation, he worked at the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGU) who are volunteers assisting the police and the military in the Philippines. He applied for the position of wildlife enforcement officer because he understands the importance of forests as watersheds. He understands the need to enforce the protection of the protected area to guarantee water and wildlife for current and future generations. After training he got deputized as wildlife enforcement officer (WEO) in December 2018. He is proud to be a WEO.
Ramesh, a field coordinator, has been working in conservation since 2006. He has excellent skills in mobilizing and training community people. Ramesh manages 34 forest guardians of Taplejung district in eastern Nepal. These forest guardians collect field monitoring data essential in the conservation of the red panda. In his free time, Ramesh enjoys cooking meals and also provides culinary training to the owners of local homestays.
Deependra has an undergraduate degree in Forestry. Soon after the completion of his undergraduate degree from the Institute of Forestry, in Pokhara Nepal, he started to work to conserve the red panda. Before that, he worked as a freelancer forester developing operational plans for community forests in Nepal. His responsibilities at Red Panda Network include training forest guardians, users of community forests, local community leaders, forest guards, etc. and implementing and reporting field conservation programs in the Panchthar district of eastern Nepal.
Phinju, a senior field technician at Red Panda Network (RPN) became a livestock herder at a tender age and herding cattle in red panda habitat which ultimately impacted the survival of the species. He was unaware of the ecological importance of the red panda. When he met Brian Williams (who later founded RPN) in 2001, he decided to try his hand at becoming a field assistant doing red panda research in Ilam district, eastern Nepal. After that, he has been regularly engaged in the conservation of wildlife. He also has great knowledge of the local medicinal and aromatic Plants. Phinju is responsible for supervising 17 forest guardians in Ilam. More info about Phinju.
