Partners & Team

Rachel Sapery James is the Lead for Coral Reef Rescue Initiative. Rachel has worked with WWF since 2021, moving across from her previous role as Senior Manager Blue Pacific where she has provided strategic leadership, technical advisory, program management and coordination to WWF-Australia supported Pacific programs.

With 17 years of professional experience across Government Policy and Administration, to Sustainable Finance, Industry Social & Environmental Compliance and Management, to local community-based NGOs and humanitarian organizations, to Research, Teaching and Lecturing at Universities.

Rachel is a dedicated marine biologist at heart, passionate about protecting oceans, coral reefs, and marine conservation. Rachel studied a double bachelor's in Marine Biology and Aquaculture, completing her Postgraduate Research studies at James Cook University, Townsville. Rachel completed the Master of ISATEC program at Bremen University’s Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research. Rachel brings expertise, experience, and leadership from the Coral Triangle, Pacific Region on climate resilience, climate policy advocacy, sustainable coastal, coral reef fisheries, and integrated coastal ecosystem management (Ridge to Reef). Rachel has led and championed regional environmental campaigns, the Bank South Pacific’s Go Green against plastic pollution.

Rachel is a proud daughter of Siavun Clan, Lovongai, New Hanover, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea. Rachel has an infectious passion for community-led conservation, elevating traditional Indigenous knowledge and traditional governance protocols safeguarding marine management areas and marine conservation. Rachel volunteers as a member and senior mentor with Sea Women Great Barrier Reef (SWGBR) and Sea Women Melanesia (SWOM) Programs. Rachel spends her spare time outdoors, swimming, surfing, and boogie boarding with her daughter Nama (mini panda).

Magali Rochat is the Global Coral Reef Initiative Coordinator at WWF. She has previously worked in the sustainability engagement space at the University of Queensland where she helped raise awareness of sustainable development issues and empowered students and staff to adopt sustainable practices. Magali has always loved the natural world and has participated in various citizen science and climate action groups. With a degree in Ecology and Journalism, Magali is passionate about people and community focused approaches to environmental conservation and believes in the power of good storytelling to create positive change.

Karl Deering has a background in social science and has 23 years of experience in development and humanitarian work with a focus on resilience, food security and climate change. He has worked in refugee, post-conflict, and development contexts in Asia and in east, west and southern Africa. His core interests are in equity and justice in food systems, gender equality and in the livelihood-conservation nexus. He is currently Strategic Partnerships Lead in CARE’s Food and Water Systems team.

Margaret has served in Government for 14 years prior to joining the Non-Government-Organisation community. Margaret worked with the FLMMA network for 5 years before joining WWF Pacific. All Margaret's work has been centered around Fisheries Conservation and Management and empowering the I Taukei communities to take ownership of the sustainable use and management of their terrestrial and marine resources and landscape.

Margaret's previous experience that is critical to the work of CRRI over the new few years, will be centered around two dimensions: working across the different communities in the districts of which the Resilient Coral Reefs are to be surveyed, including working with the Committees and the people to review and relook at their Management Plans to be more inclusive and intentional of the protection and sustainable management of their Coral Reefs as well as having this opportunity to marry the science and the traditional knowledge on the uses and the services that Coral Reefs provide. On the other end of the spectrum, Margaret will be using the networks, knowledge and skills around Policy layouts and Governance within the Government corridors as well as working with the Structural Arrangements of the GEF CRR Project to help advocate on the National Plan of Action on Coral Reefs.

Luz is the Director for Project Development, WWF Philippines. Luz has more than a decade of experience in contributing to and coordinating proposal development on marine biodiversity conservation including the GEF -7 Coral Reef Rescue: Resilient Coral Reefs, Resilient Communities. 

Adlina is a Marine Advocacy and Partnership Specialist, with a primary field of interest in social environment, including: Resources Management, the Social Dimension of Environmental Change, Ghost Gear, and Marine Protected Areas.

Studying the social environment has helped Adlina understand that in Indonesia there are a lot of complicated problems that are connected such as poverty, health, education, unemployment, crime, etc. Those problems cause many social conflicts in Indonesia.

 Adlina has experience as a Researcher for the Destructive Fishing Watch Indonesia and a Program Manager at Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility. Adlina is currently the Marine Advocacy and Partnerships Specialist for WWF Indonesia. 

Domoina is the CRRI Country Focal Point for Madagascar. Based in  Antananarivo, Madagascar, Domoina is the Senior Marine Officer for WWF Madagascar. Domoina has expertise as a researcher (herpetologist) and as a lecturer at the University of Toliara Faculty of Sciences. Domoina brings her expertise and experience on MPA and LMMA management the as formerly being a seascape manager at WWF.

Based in Mozambique, Eduardo is also the Integrated Ocean Governance Lead for the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO). Eduardo is a Mozambican marine ecologist, who has spent over 20 years working on marine biodiversity conservation in Mozambique and broader South Western Indian Ocean. Eduardo is a Senior Marine Officer for SWIO - WWF, and holds a Master's degree in Aquatic Biology and Coastal Ecosystems and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Degree in Biological Sciences from the Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. Eduardo's experience includes working for the NGO, CSO and private sectors, and areas of expertise include: marine biodiversity research, monitoring, management and conservation; establishment and management of conservation areas and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs); environmental impact assessments; sustainable fisheries management and governance; and community-led conservation/management of natural resources.

Chief Scientific Advisor for CRRI and one of the most commonly cited authors on climate change, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is Professor of Marine Studies at the University of Queensland, where he has pioneered research on the impacts of global change in marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. He is also the founder of the Global Change Institute and Coordinating Lead Author for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

One of my fondest memories of coral reefs is also my first: crystal clear intertidal reefs off the coast of Queensland, ablaze with beautiful corals and spectacular fish. It was the beginning of a love affair which to this day has not ended. But, like all relationships, there are challenges and losses. It is for these reasons that I continue to fight against climate change and other human-based activities that threaten to wipe out coral reefs forever. Losing these ecosystems simply must not happen.