ASEAN Centre for Biovidersity

Clarissa C. Arida
Director, Programme Development and Implementation
Clarissa has substantial experience in policy, programme and project development, management and monitoring on environment and natural resources management. Prior to joining the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) as Director for Program Development and Implementation, she has been Programme Manager for over 12 years at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) dealing on global environmental issues, particularly biodiversity conservation. She has had extensive involvement also with the government and the academe in environmental planning, policy review, development and advocacy, including sectoral policies and researches on protected areas, forestry, coastal and marine, agriculture, ancestral domain and indigenous peoples' rights, mining, energy development and other industrial development policies. Clarissa holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Environmental Science and Technology from the Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering in Delft, The Netherlands and a BS Biology degree (Major in Ecology) at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos.

Monina T. Uriarte, PhD
Capacity Building Specialist
Monina’s extensive experience covers 20 years in research and development and over 10 years in training and extension activities. She specializes in timber management, forest resources management, and training and extension. From 1998-2004, she was the head of the Training and Extension Unit of the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and was the Assistant Director of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau of the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources from 2003-2006. Monina holds a Masters in Forestry major in Timber Management and a PhD in Forestry major in Forest Resources Management from the University of the Philippines, Los Banos.

Filiberto A. Pollisco, Jr., Ph.D.
Policy Research Specialist
Nonoy specializes in forest ecology and land management/land use planning; biodiversity conservation in genetic, species, and ecosystems levels; and ecotourism. He has vast experiences in project management, monitoring and evaluation, and environmental impact assessment (EIA). He was formerly an Assistant Director / Supervising Science Research Specialist (handling sloping land management, solid waste management, organic agriculture, soil and water conservation, and project development) at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD). He has also been a consultant in various EIA and development projects on protected areas, watershed management, coastal zones / mangrove ecosystems, and ecotourism. Nonoy has a PhD in Forestry specializing in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecotourism, and a Masters of Science Degree in Forestry from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos.