Dr. Tanya Whabe is an ecological and cultural resource management specialist who has contributed to the conservation of species- and ecosystems-at-risk and Indigenous community-based health initiatives for 25+ years. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC, and the Scientific Director and Indigenous & Conservation Programs Specialist at Impact Resolutions Ltd. Tanya earned an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in wildlife ecology and population genetics from the Centre for Applied Conservation Research in the UBC Faculty of Forestry. Her post-doctoral research addressed environmental health with Indigenous Peoples in the Salish Sea and BC’s Central Coast.
Tanya has worked for Canadian and US universities, provincial and national non-profit organizations, Canadian and US government organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and the private sector. Her conservation research, education and engagement projects have taken her to Peru, the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Lebanon and Ecuador. She has collaboratively managed ecologically and culturally significant landscapes, developed co-governance frameworks, navigated land securement and implemented culturally-appropriate community engagement in Haida Gwaii, the West Chilcotin, Clayoquot Sound, the Central Coast and the Salish Sea.
Tanya deeply enjoys working with Indigenous Peoples to advance conservation initiatives and develop sustainable and conservation-based economies. For the xwc̓ic̓əsəm Garden project, she serves as project manager, and her role includes implementation of the research activities, data synthesis coordination, assisting in collaborative writing, technical reviews and facilitating relations among the research team.