Panama Team

Jonathan Rodríguez is a young biologist who graduated from the University of Panama, passionate about nature and conservation. He has experience in the management of aquatic macroinvertebrates and in the analysis of physicochemical parameters to assess the biological quality of water. Since 2022, he has been collaborating with Panama Wildlife Conservation, actively participating in the Ara Project, where he supports research, monitoring, environmental education, and volunteer coordination, contributing to strengthening conservation efforts for the great green macaw and Panama’s biodiversity.

PHONE: ‭+507 6270 9305‬

EMAIL: JONATHAN@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: BIOLOGIST - ARA PANAMA

Darllelys Denisel is a Marine Biologist specialising in Limnology and a secondary-level teacher, with degrees obtained from the University of Panama. She is the founder of Bhela Creative, a small business dedicated to offering painting workshops for children and adults, where she combines creativity with learning. At PWC, she actively participates in environmental education programmes aimed at promoting the conservation of Panamanian biodiversity, fostering scientific curiosity, and contributing to the dissemination of environmental knowledge within communities.

PHONE: ‭+507 6452 1844‬

EMAIL: DARLLELYS@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Carlos Antonio Vigil is an agricultural technician with extensive experience in sustainable land management, reforestation, and community engagement. With over a decade working alongside rural communities in Panama, Carlos brings practical knowledge vital for conservation efforts. At Panama Wildlife Conservation, he serves as Field Operations Coordinator, supporting habitat restoration and local outreach, especially around Cerro Hoya and Azuero. His work helps bridge scientific goals with community-based conservation action

PHONE: ‭+507 6491 6479‬

EMAIL: CVIGIL1923@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: FIELD OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Luis is a Biologist graduated at Imperial College London. He is Programmes Director at Panama Wildlife Conservation and works on a large number of projects, which focus on Science and media production. Luis plays a key role in the development and implementation of research and conservation initiatives. He is responsible for co-ordinating project development, which includes fund-raising, liaising with partners, increasing the profile of Panama Wildlife Conservation and identifying research initiatives that could be applied to the protection of Panama’s biodiversity.

PHONE: (+507) 64266535

EMAIL: LUIS@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: DIRECTOR | BOARD

Laura Pineda is an environmental biologist from the University of Panama and currently serves as a research assistant at INDICASAT. With over a decade of experience in biology, Laura brings invaluable insight to Panama Wildlife Conservation. As a Board Member, she supports the development of environmental education initiatives, particularly for communities near Cerro Hoya and Santa Fe National Parks, helping to strengthen our outreach and impact.

PHONE: (+507) 6733 9144

EMAIL: LAURA@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Zeuz is a Biologist who studied a master in tropical diseases at the university of Costa Rica. Since 2011, Zeuz has been the national coordinator for a Leishaminais proyect in Panama. Zeuz has been an active PWC member, he has been working on the creation of a program and logistics for the conservation projects developed by our association.

PHONE: (+507) 600 41058

EMAIL: ZCAPITANB@DEV.DEV.PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Christel is a botanist who is a MS student at University of Panama. She has experience in fieldwork, processing plant specimens and description of new botanical species. Despite her experience and training in systematic botany, she is particularly interested in conducting research about ecology, especially plant succession, animal-plant interactions and those factors that influence dynamics in forests and recovery, to promote recovery in degraded lands and conservation of biodiversity.

PHONE: (+507) 6404-7333

EMAIL: CHRISTEL@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: BOTANIST

Carlos is a biology enthusiast. He studied Zoology and Marine Biology at the University of Panama Veraguas Regional Center. Among his experiences is having worked on different management plans for protected areas in the country, as well as biological monitoring and environmental education. With PWC he is actively participating, supporting scientific research and conservation projects specially developing the Ara panama Protect.

PHONE: +507 6932 3326‬

EMAIL: CARLOSAVG13@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: TECHNICAL PROJECT COORDINATOR

Daniel is a Biologist who is currently doing a PhD in the Biology department at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He is studying eco-evolutionary dynamics of highland hummingbird species with contemporary speciation. Current research encompasses population genomics, ecology, behavior, environmental factors, and conservation of two main groups of hummingbirds: Mountain-gems (Lampornis) and Bee hummingbirds (Selasphorus). In addition, Daniel has experience in ethno-ornithology, managed the bird collection at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and contributed with PWCC in projects related to sustainability, environmental education, and species diversity upgrading in national parks of the Veraguas province. After Ph.D. completion, he plans on keep working with bird’s evolutionary dynamics and conservation in sky-islands of Panama, while focusing on scientific outreach to local communities.

PHONE: +507 65884543

EMAIL: DEBUITRAGO@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: ORNITHOLOGIST

Abel leads Panama Wildlife Conservation’s ecotourism activities, with a focus on the Harlequin Toad and Ara Panama projects. A passionate birder, Abel captures most of the organization’s wildlife photography, videos, and drone footage, bringing our conservation stories to life. His work connects communities and nature lovers with Panama’s unique biodiversity, blending education, adventure, and visual storytelling to raise awareness and inspire action for conservation.

PHONE: +507 6803 5902‬

EMAIL: ABEL@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: ECOTURISM

Sarah Woodhead Bacon has served as an Ambassador for Panama Wildlife Conservation since 2022. She collaborates closely with PWC and Space for Giants, championing eco‑tourism and conservation across regions including Panama and Sumatra. A co‑founder of the Leuser Ecosystem Action Fund, she helped protect millions of hectares of rainforest home to orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants. With expertise in branding and sustainability, Sarah also re‑branded the Islas Secas eco‑lodge in Panama, supporting community‑led conservation efforts.

PHONE:

EMAIL: INFO@PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: AMBASSADOR

Beulah Garner is a senior curator of Coleoptera (beetles) at the Natural History Museum, London; with responsibility for over 3 million specimens including the Carabidae, Cleroidea, Myxophaga and Archostemata as well as the Coleoptera larval collection. She is an experienced fieldworker focussed on developing the NHM collection of Neotropical Coleoptera. Her research interests also are focussed in the Neotropics in particular the systematics and evolution of the subfamily Lebiinae, a hyper-diverse group of predatory ground beetles of economic and ecological importance. She is passionate about the natural world, in particular species discovery and conservation. Her position at one of the world’s leading scientific institutions on natural history gives her opportunity to not only research the world’s biodiversity but also engage in scientific outreach to an international audience.

PHONE: +44 7795 257985

EMAIL: INFO@DEV.DEV.PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: TRUSTEE

Hugo Burnand is a world-renowned British portrait photographer best known for his official portraits of the British Royal Family, including the 2023 coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. In 2016, he played a pivotal role in founding Panama Wildlife Conservation (PWC) as a funding trustee, launching the charity with a photographic exhibition at the V&A Museum that helped raise over £150,000. His portraits are acclaimed for their emotional depth, intimacy, and timeless elegance.

PHONE: +44 20 7229 2297

EMAIL: INFO@DEV.DEV.PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: AMBASSADOR

Barry Rogers has worked for over 20 years in financial services and is founding partner and principal of AIM Partners, an investment advisory firm specialised in alternative investments including hedge funds and private equity. AIMP is based in London, was founded in 2002 and is authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Barry previously worked in investment banking origination roles in Milan & Frankfurt and cross-border M&A based in Paris. Barry has a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from University College Dublin and a Masters in Economics from the College of Europe, Bruges. Barry is a licensed (CF30) financial adviser and fluently speaks French, German, Italian and Spanish.

PHONE: +44 7980 222915

EMAIL: INFO@DEV.DEV.PANAMAWILDLIFE.ORG

ROLE: TRUSTEE