Maria Zita Toribio

Maria Zita Toribio has more than 25 years' experience in holistic and integrated environment and natural resources management; environment and natural resources policy development; environmental governance improvement; protected area and critical habitat management planning; capacity-building; assessment tools development; environmental and social impact assessment; and climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation. 

Dr. Toribio currently serves as Governance Specialist and Strategic Approach 1 Coordinator on the USAID-funded Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans and Landscapes (SIBOL) Activity. Prior to joining SIBOL, under the USAID-funded Protect Wildlife Project, she served as Natural Resources Management Planning and Learning Process Development Specialist, Protected Area Management Plan Technical Writer, and Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool Specialist. She also served as the Policy and Governance Specialist and Team leader under USAID’s Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystems Resilience (B+WISER) project and as Policy and Governance Specialist under USAID’s Philippine Environmental Governance Project. 

Dr. Toribio is committed to advancing the well-being of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. She has written book chapters and journal articles,  technical reports,  training modules, and manuals  covering diverse topics on landscape and ridge-to reef approaches to environment and natural resources management and governance, including natural resource valuation,  local environmental governance,  protected area management and governance,  coastal resource governance, environmental law enforcement,  sustainable livelihood and resource management,  forest and landscape restoration, post-conflict peace-building and environment financing.