Jan-Willem van Bochove

Jan-Willem is working within the marine programme on the application of innovative approaches such as blue carbon to help meet a range of international biodiversity and climate targets. He also focuses on the compilation, enhancement and dissemination of critical global marine and coastal datasets to support conservation management. His work aims to help guide effective policy- and decision -making processes and support the development of marine management tools aimed at providing the most accurate and relevant information to local and regional stakeholders.
Jan-Willem gained his MSc in Marine Biology from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Prior to joining UNEP-WCMC, he spent over seven years working as a senior scientist for a UK-based NGO which provides host governments in the developing world with manpower and expertise to support the management and protection of coastal habitats. This work has equipped him with an appreciation for the potential of community-based approaches to environmental protection and how these can be integrated into national and global conservation strategies. Although born in the Netherlands, Jan-Willem considers himself to be a citizen of the world, having had the privilege to spend most of his life living abroad, feeding his love and fascination for the natural world, both above and below the water.