Nuwanthika Dharmaratne

I am currently completing my PhD that focuses on assessing the progress toward global area-based conservation targets by 1) understanding the drivers behind protected and conserved area expansion 2) investigating the relevance of a broader range of protected and conserved area types for these targets and 3) exploring methods that allow the integration of better data into progress tracking.

I am also working as an Innovation Associate within the Innovation Team of the E3 Sharing Space for Nature Initiative, where I am investigating the potential of scaling Izele, a global platform that aims to provide more visibility to small-scale conservation efforts and connect them with other stakeholders interested in conservation including NGOs, funders and the general public.

• Investigating tools that allow for better recognition of area-based conservation action
• Improving how data is used to track progress towards area-based conservation targets
• Understanding the relevance of difference area-based conservation strategies to Global Biodiversity Frameworks

• Member of the IUCN WCPA Specialist Group on OECMs
• Member of IUCN WCPA Protected Planet Specialist Group