CHATHAM — Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a nonprofit committed to funding scientific research, improving public safety and educating the community about white sharks, has announced the appointment of Anna R. Oposa to the board of directors.
Oposa is a marine conservationist and the executive director of Save Philippine Seas (SPS), an organization that mobilizes collective action and behavior change to protect coastal and marine environments through education and community-based projects. She helped to create the first shark sanctuary in the Philippines and to designate the thresher shark as a nationally protected species.
In addition to her primary role at SPS, Oposa serves as a consultant for Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, the United Nations Development Programme, The Purpose Business and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In 2018, she led environmental education workshops for coastal and marine conservation in Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands for ADB. She has also served as a technical adviser to the Philippine government on climate change, marine wildlife trade, and migratory species since 2010.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the board of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy,” Oposa said. “I hope to bring different perspectives to their work based on my background and work experience, and I want learn from AWSC’s practices and achievements to apply them to my work in Southeast Asia.”
Oposa graduated cum laude with a degree in BA English Studies from University of the Philippines-Diliman in 2011 and earned her MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London in 2015 through the Chevening scholarship. In 2017, she was one of the three Global Fellows in Marine Conservation at the Duke University Marine Laboratory. Her work has been published in newspapers, magazines, and online, including Shark Conservation Legislation: A Toolkit for Philippine Policymakers (2018).
“Anna is recognized internationally for her essential work in marine conservation and leadership,” said Cynthia Wigren, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy CEO. “We are particularly excited for Anna to provide board guidance as the organization further evolves its shark outreach, social and digital media work as part of our forthcoming strategic planning process.”
