About us

Why WAO Nature & Conservation?

WAO stands for “We Are One”, an inclusive and inter-connected vision of Man and Nature, which demonstrates :

• The need for solidarity and networking, to understand ecosystems, consider each other's issues and co-construct sustainable solutions, using science as a common language and complementary knowledge/expertise.

• The link between health and the state of our environment, an idea conveyed by the concept of “One Health”.

Wao refers to the “wild land” of Hawaii, a part of the world that influenced us during part of our scientific training in environment and oceanography, and where the Wild creates energy and stimulates inspiration.

“WAOooo” evokes wonder, surprise, the joy of discovery and our shared sensitivity to Nature and the well-being it can provide.

GAËLLE DARMON, PhD

With a PhD in evolutionary ecology, Gaëlle pursued specialized studies in animal community ecology and statistical analysis of biological data at the University of Lyon 1, with the aim of leading projects to acquire knowledge and protect wildlife and the environment. She has worked in a variety of ecosystems (mountain pastures, forests, seas and rivers, in both natural and urban environments), on a range of issues (implementation of sustainable activities (livestock farming, tourism, forestry, hunting), impact mitigation, reintroduction programs, evaluation of the effectiveness of restoration actions. ...), involving different animal taxa such as large herbivores (chamois, mouflons, roe deer, deer, in France and Canada), predators (the snow leopard in India), turtles or seabirds. The diversity of landscapes, species and people she has encountered has encouraged her to continue her commitment to the discovery and protection of the environment, and to share it with present and future generations.

Gaëlle has coordinated several projects involving a wide range of stakeholders (hunters, foresters, fishermen, schoolchildren, managers, biologists, etc.), such as the assessment of large herbivore populations or the implementation of bio-indicators for the impact of marine plastics (INDICIT I and II projects supported by CEFE). Gaëlle's experiences have convinced her of the importance of collaboration, through citizen science or participatory action research programs that enable the co-creation of actions with often unexpected repercussions. Studying and protecting the environment, and the richness of human relationships, are among Gaëlle's motivations for creating WAO Nature & Conservation, stimulated also by Delphine's enthusiasm and their complementary skills.

DELPHINE GAMBAIANI, PhD

With a PhD in marine biology, Delphine is a committed, passionate and philanthropic scientist. With over 20 years' experience in what she calls “collaborative biology” and conservation, she is convinced of the value of multidisciplinarity and the sharing of knowledge (experiential and academic) in the implementation of sustainable, innovative, inspiring and long-lasting solutions.

Delphine has worked on sustainable consumption projects with distributors, producers and consumers. She has also worked for the protection of cetaceans in the Mediterranean (development of a collaborative tool to limit collisions between large cetaceans and merchant ships, introduction of a label for sustainable whale watching, proposal of a protocol for the rational dumping of large cetacean carcasses, etc.). ), sea turtle conservation (scientific advisor in care centers, coordinator of the Réseau Tortues Marines de Méditerranée Française, etc.) and sustainable fishing (doctoral thesis on “ Fishermen-Researchers ”).

A graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (USA), the University of Plymouth (UK) and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (France), she is, like her career, open to the world, eager to discover and amazed by the richness of cultures and Nature.

WAO Nature et Conservation perfectly reflects Delphine's values and aspirations: a collaboration between two long-standing colleagues/friends who, convinced that together anything is possible and that Man is (also) capable of the best, are working to put science and collective intelligence at the service of biodiversity (of which we are a part).

Thank you to our partners, collaborators, clients & funders