Dr. Koen Van Waerebeek

Scientific adviser for Cetacea

Koen is an international consultant specialised in conservation biology of dolphins and whales, and studies world-wide issues of bycatch, direct takes, marine bushmeat, collisions with vessels and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Due to his knowledge of cetacean morphology and taxonomy, he was given curatorial volunteer duties at the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences at the age of 15. He graduated as zoologist from Ghent University and was awarded a PhD at the University of Amsterdam for his extensive research on the biology of dusky dolphins in the Southern Hemisphere. He has been consultant for many scientific institutions, NGOs, national environmental agencies and especially Intergovernmental Organisations, such as IWC, UNEP, CMS, CITES, UNESCO, IUCN and others. He has sailed the world oceans as researcher on cetacean monitoring and sampling surveys and has (co-)authored more than 150 scientific papers and book chapters. Koen co-founded and heads the Peruvian Center for Cetacean Research (CEPEC) and is a senior member of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Based in South America, he also participates in conservation biology projects in western Africa, the Middle East and recently southern China.