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  • Eva Gross Consulting - Profile

About me

Raised in Germany, Iran, Indonesia and Nepal I am a culturally sensitive professional who loves working interdisciplinary and internationally. During fifteen years of work experience in nature conservation NGOs, I have built up a solid conservation background and gained profound knowledge in project development, management, monitoring and evaluation.

I have spent over 10 years involving local communities into nature conservation endeavours in African and Asian countries, using participatory and democratic approaches. My speciality is applying community-based methods to the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts and the development of alternative livelihoods in rural and remote areas. In partnership with local NGOs, I developed a series of community-based conservation projects with the aim of benefitting both, people and wildlife. Experience in building up and managing collaborations with local partners and the steering of project activities have added to my portfolio as well.

My analytical skills help me to understand complex socio-ecological systems and subjects easily and to respond to them appropriately. Additionally, I am an enthusiastic and curious hands-on person, who likes exploring and relates easily with people I am working with. I am used to travelling in remote areas and difficult terrain.

I believe that nature conservation in the 21st century has to be inclusive and participatory. The human dimensions have to be included in biodiversity conservation, to ensure long-term success and sustainability.

My professional experience

  • Since 10/2018
    Freelance consultant - Linking Conservation and Development, Germany
    Integrating human dimensions into biodiversity conservation
  • 04/2008 - 09/2018
    Programme Director at Awely, des animaux et des hommes , Orléans/France
    Project development, planning, training, management, monitoring and evaluation of community-based conservation projects in Africa and Asia:  Assessment of human-wildlife conflicts and data analysis, design and implementation of socio-economic surveys. Development of conservation education programmes for adults and children in formal and informal settings.
  • 04/2003 – 03/2008
    Project Manager at Frankfurt Zoological Society , Frankfurt/Germany
    Development and execution of conservation education projects in collaboration with Frankfurt Zoo: Implementation of a volunteering system for conservation education, conception and implementation of events and presentations on biodiversity conservation, development of mobile and interactive exhibits, website, fundraising, public relations.

Education

  • 01/2011 – 04/2018
    Post-graduate studies at the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt/Germany on “Comparative analysis of human-wildlife conflicts in Asia and Africa” (PhD/Dr. rer. nat., magna cum laude)
    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. M. Niekisch, Jun. Prof. Dr. T. Müller
  • 10/1995 – 06/2002
    Study of Environmental Sciences (Diplom), Leuphana University, Lüneburg/Germany with focus on nature conservation, conservation education and communication.
    Thesis (Diplom): Analysis of the economy of three forestry-concepts – regarding selected conifer-stocks in the forest holding of Uelzen
    Supervisors: Prof. Dr. W. Härdtle, Prof. Dr. K. von Gadow

Selected international experiences

  • 08/2007 – 09/2018
    DR Congo: Developed small scale livestock breeding and income generation with hunters and bushmeat sellers, as an alternative to hunting endangered bonobos in remote areas of the Equateur Province.
    Local partner: Groupe d’Appui à la Conservation des Ecosystèmes de Basankusu et Bolomba.
  • 01/2014 – 09/2018
    Cameroon: Conservation education for the protection of Western lowland gorillas, developed formal and community education programmes in the vicinity of the Dja Reserve.
    Local partner: Projet Grand Singes.
  • 07/2008 – 09/2018
    Zambia: Found farmer-based solutions for human-wildlife conflicts (especially with large herbivores such African elephants and Common hippopotamuses), developed a human-wildlife conflict assessment scheme and conducted data analysis.
    Local partners: Conservation South Luangwa, Conservation Lower Zambezi and Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust.
  • 01/2010 – 12/2011
    Tanzania: Implemented a human-wildlife conflict assessment scheme and
    developed strategies to decrease crop damage by large herbivores and livestock predation by lions, leopards and hyenas with pastoralist Maasai communities.
    Local partner: African People and Wildlife.
  • 04/2008 – 09/2018
    India: Developed new strategies for a peaceful coexistence with Asian elephants in the vicinity of Manas National Park. Collaborated on the development of the Manas Tiger Conservation Project with focus on participatory approaches for the creation of alternative livelihoods and education within a Bengal tiger conservation project in Assam.
    Local partner: Aaranyak.
  • 10/2008 – 12/2017
    Nepal: Secured the long-term coexistence of farmers and large herbivores (Asian elephants and Greater one-horned rhinos) as well as large predators (leopards and tigers) in the vicinity of national parks in the lowlands of Nepal, through education, sustainable livelihood development (e.g. fostering the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic crops) and other human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies.
    Local partner: National Trust for Nature Conservation.
Eva Gross profile

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