Dr. Robert Mather
GEF Team Leader, Southeast Asia Conservation and Projected Areas Specialist, Climate Adaptation
Dr. Robert Mather brings over 30 years of experience in conservation and natural resource management across the Lower Mekong Region and Southeast Asia. He is currently serving as International Protected Areas Management Adviser for the GEF/World Bank Lao Landscapes and Livelihoods Project with Indufor. Previous roles include Technical Assistance Team Lead for the EU-funded BCAMP Project (ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity), Chief of Party for USAID Wildlife Asia, and ICEM Team Leader on a GIZ Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in Vietnam. Dr. Mather spent eight years with IUCN as Head of the Southeast Asia Group, overseeing projects in protected areas, biodiversity, water resources, and climate change adaptation. Before IUCN, he served as WWF’s first Thailand Country Representative and later led WWF’s Living Mekong Program from Vientiane.
Beyond technical work, he has a strong track record in organisational development — establishing WWF Thailand from the ground up, founding national conservation foundations in Thailand, and forging private sector partnerships with companies including Coca-Cola and Marriott Hotels. He has also conducted programme evaluations for FAO and DFAT across the region.