Marlène Elias
FTA Coordinator of Gender Equality and Social InclusionMarlène Elias is a gender specialist in conservation and management of forest genetic resources at Bioversity International. Her efforts focus on coordinating gender-specific research projects, mainstreaming gender institutionally, and strengthening the capacities of Bioversity International staff to conduct participatory, gender-responsive research that will deliver positive and equitable benefits to men and women. Before joining Bioversity International in 2013, she conducted research on gender, forest-based livelihoods, and tree resource management in Latin America and Africa. Among other positions, she has worked in UNESCO’s Division for Gender Equality and in the Department of Anthropology of Université Laval in Canada. She is the founder of the non-governmental organization, Burkina Canada, which facilitates education to underprivileged girls and boys in Burkina Faso. Marlène Elias has an MA and PhD in Geography and a BSc in Biology and Environmental Sciences.