Team

The people behind Harmusch.

A multidisciplinary team of 13 researchers specialising in carnivorous mammals, raptors, endangered species ecology and plant conservation.

— Team overview —

Rigorous science at the service of conservation.

Harmusch brings together biologists with established careers in carnivore, raptor, ungulate and plant ecology. Each member contributes their research and fieldwork experience to Harmusch's common goal: studying and protecting endangered wildlife in the Moroccan Atlantic Sahara and other regions where we collaborate.

Applied science

University-trained biologists with research experience in ecology and conservation.

Fieldwork

Expeditions to remote regions of the Atlantic Sahara, where we collect data on endangered species.

International outlook

We collaborate with Moroccan, Spanish and African institutions to protect cross-border wildlife.

Outreach commitment

We share what we learn through publications, talks and open materials for society.

Jose María Gil Sánchez

President and founding member

Calatayud, Zaragoza, España · 1969

PhD in Biology from the University of Granada (cum laude thesis, 1999) and a zoologist by vocation, he is a senior researcher in the ecology and conservation of threatened wildlife, especially carnivorous mammals, birds…

Expertise

Carnivorous mammals

Bonelli's eagle

Native freshwater crayfish

Iberian lynx

Regional scope

Iberian Peninsula · Ecuador · Bolivia · Morocco · Senegal · South Africa · India

8 años en programa de recuperación del cangrejo de río autóctono, 12 años en Programas Life para conservación del lince ibérico (2001-2013)

Más de 50 publicaciones científicas (33 artículos en revistas indexadas)

[email protected]

Ángel V. Arredondo Acero

Founding member

Puertollano, Ciudad Real, España · 1977

A naturalist, he has worked as a field technician on numerous management and conservation projects for protected species and their habitats. He has more than 15 years of experience in protected species management and…

Regional scope

Mauritania · Senegal · Morocco · Argentina

Más de 15 años de experiencia, participación en 3 proyectos Life Naturaleza

Autor y coautor de más de 30 publicaciones científicas y divulgativas

[email protected][email protected]

Inmaculada Cancio Guillén

Founding member

Badajoz, Extremadura, España · 1983

A field biologist by vocation and PhD in Ecology from the University of Jaén, she specializes in biodiversity conservation, environmental management, and wildlife and habitat monitoring. Throughout her career, she has…

Expertise

Biodiversity conservation

Environmental management and Natura 2000 Network

Wildlife and habitat monitoring

GIS / QGIS and ecological analysis

Environmental education and Erasmus+ projects

Regional scope

Mediterranean and semi-arid ecosystems · Southern Morocco · Patagonia, Argentina · Romania · Italy

[email protected]

F. Javier Herrera Sánchez

Founding member

PhD in Biology from the University of Granada and a Master's in Biodiversity: Conservation and Evolution, specializing in Biodiversity and Animal Conservation, from the University of Valencia. His career focuses on…

Expertise

Applied ecology and wildlife conservation

Large raptors

Iberian and Saharan mammal fauna

Cuvier's gazelle (doctoral thesis)

Iberian lynx

Ecological modelling and GIS

Web ORCID

[email protected][email protected]

J.M. Valderrama

Researcher and science communicator

Writer, science communicator and scientific researcher, PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. A postdoctoral researcher at the Multidisciplinary Institute for the Study of the…

Expertise

Desertification

Science communication

Web

Antonio Javier Rodríguez Siles

Vice President and founding member

Baños de la Encina, Jaén, España · 1973

Degree in Biological Sciences, specializing in Natural Area Management, from the University of Jaén. He has extensive professional experience in the handling and management of protected species, notably 20 years devoted…

Expertise

Iberian lynx (20 years of experience)

Protected species management

Vertebrate censuses and surveys

Mesopredator ecology

Regional scope

Spain (Andalusia) · Morocco · Himalayas · Senegal · Argentina · Arizona (USA) · South Africa

Autor y coautor de más de 20 publicaciones científicas y divulgativas

[email protected]

Gerardo Valenzuela Serrano

Founding member

Degree in Biology and secondary school teacher. He worked as a biologist in the Iberian lynx monitoring and recovery program for two years and has participated over the last 25 years in various conservation studies on…

Expertise

Iberian lynx

Carnivores

Birds of prey

Wild felid observation

25 años en estudios de conservación, reto de ver las 36 especies de felinos en libertad

Joaquín Pérez

Founding member

From 2005 to the present he has participated in LIFE projects for the conservation of the Iberian lynx. His field experience is very broad, covering different ecosystems and species. From his stay in Bolivia in 1998 to…

Expertise

Iberian lynx

Spanish imperial eagle

Wildlife tracking

Regional scope

Bolivia (1998) · Mauritania (2011) · Peru

[email protected]

Begoña Álvarez Cabello

Founding member

Córdoba, España · 1979

Degree in Biology from the University of Córdoba. She completed her training with a Master's in Cultural and Natural Heritage (International University of Andalusia) and another Master's in Quality and Environmental…

Expertise

Rural Development and Natural Heritage

Geographic Information Systems

Environmental awareness

Regional scope

Ecuador · Morocco · Senegal

[email protected]

Miguel Ángel Díaz Portero

Founding member

Marmolejo, Jaén, España · 1973

Degree in Biological Sciences, specializing in Zoology, from the University of Granada. He has developed much of his professional work in projects and programs for the conservation of threatened species such as the…

Expertise

Iberian lynx

Cinereous vulture

Birds

Carnivorous mammals

Regional scope

Venezuela · Ecuador · Morocco · Senegal · South Africa · India · Borneo · Romania · Poland · Mongolia

[email protected]

Juan Manuel Sáez Muñoz

Founding member

Self-taught naturalist. Since 2007 dedicated to the recovery of the Iberian lynx in Andalusia, with special attention to the small Doñana population. He has been a coordinator and collaborator on different projects…

Expertise

Iberian lynx

Doñana population

Nature documentaries

Regional scope

Morocco · Senegal · Argentina · United Kingdom · Portugal

[email protected]

Antón García Reyes

Member

Canena, Jaén, España · 1995

Naturalist and biologist from the University of Jaén, with a Master's in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from Pablo de Olavide University. As a field technician, he has been linked to research and management of…

Expertise

Ungulate and carnivore ecology

Tracking and camera trapping

Habitat mapping

Plant ecology

Regional scope

Sahara · Morocco

Web

Mariola Sánchez Cerdá

Member

España · 1990

Degree in Biology from the University of Granada and a Master's in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from Pablo de Olavide University-CSIC. Since childhood she has felt a fascination for the natural world, which led…

Expertise

Camera trapping

Conservation genetics

Iberian carnivores

Raptors

Molecular ecology

Saharan wildlife

Regional scope

Sahara · Morocco · Iberian Peninsula · Sweden

Web ORCID

[email protected]