Jurgenne Primavera, Ph.D.

Research

Jurgenne Primavera served as chief mangrove scientific adviser for the Zoological Society of London and as emerita scientist of the aquaculture department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center based in Iloilo, central Philippines, before she retired in 2018. She is also a member of the Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology. The primary objective of her Pew fellowship—conserving mangroves through local governance and formal education in Panay Island, central Philippines—was greatly facilitated by considerable research experience and an extensive network of contacts in and outside academe. Collaboration with local governments resulted in projects on coastal greenbelts, mangrove footwalks, and a mangrove ecopark in five municipalities, while gains in environmental education include mangrove modules for primary and secondary schools; thesis and conference travel grants to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students; and mangrove quiz shows. More recently she led a survey team that assessed post-Haiyan mangrove damage and recovery in Eastern Samar and Leyte in central Philippines. Furthermore, Primavera’s activities have increased mangrove awareness through media exposure (print/radio/TV), publication of scientific papers and other materials (a mangrove-tidal calendar and the Field Guide to Philippine Mangroves, etc.), organizing of conferences (e.g., the 2006 Guimaras Oil Spill Conference and the 2009 Marine Science Forum), and invitations to present keynote talks or papers at conferences. The achievements of Primavera’s fellowship have been substantial enough to provide the take-off point for another environmental initiative: the Community-Based Mangrove Rehabilitation Project of the Philippines funded by the Zoological Society of London. To learn more about Primavera, visit her bio online. https://en.unesco.org/who-who-women-speakers/primavera