say hello to our core team
Executive Director: Vanessa Herranz Muñoz.
The professional crazy cat person behind FCEE! At age 12, our founder fell in love with Asia’s small wild cats and made it her mission to conserve them no matter what. In 2015, that dream became a reality when Vanessa participated in Cambodia’s first ever targeted survey for Fishing Cat. While the “reappearance” of the species caused a stir, support for further research and protection efforts dried up. So Vanessa took matters into her own hands; driving Fishing Cat conservation in the country, first founding the Kla Trey | Cambodian Fishing Cat project , and later the Fishing Cat Ecological Enterprise (FCEE).
Alongside FCEE, Vanessa is completing her PhD from the University of Rey Juan Carlos (Spain) and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (Thailand), studying of course, Fishing Cat in Cambodia! Her professional memberships include the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group and IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group- at the time of writing, Cambodia’s only cat specialist! Lastly, Vanessa has spectacular design sense. When she’s not scrutinising camera trap footage, she’s handcrafting beautiful and data-rich designs, from posters to how-to’s and reports which you can see here.
Biodiversity Researcher and Wildlife Photographer: Sophatt Reaksmey
MSc graduate in Biodiversity Conservation at the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC), at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Previously served as Biodiversity Conservation officer for Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Kratie province.
Finance Manager & Community Officer: Mom Pichsreyneang
BSc Accounting and Environmental Sciences student, with long-standing participation in environmental and community-based activities.
Project and Communications Advisor: Claire Baker-Munton
A professional crazy cat lady in the making, Claire manages day to day project and communication activities for FCEE. As a former environmental journalist, she loves deep dives into innovative solutions to the planet’s problems, from bat farms to ecotourism. Claire has a Master’s in Public International Law, and wrote her thesis on legal instruments to reduce harmful trade in wildlife.
Biodiversity Researcher: Roth Vichet
MSc Biodiversity Conservation at the CBC at the RUPP. Previously served as Research Assistant for charity Free the Bears.
Project Coordinator: Hak Kosal
MSc in Earth System Science, Prince of Songkla University (Thailand). Previously served as Coordinator at the University Capacity Building Project for the MSc in Biodiversity Conservation at the CBC at the RUPP.
Finance Advisor: Nit Muyteang
Bachelor Degree in Accounting & Finance at the National University of Management . Concurrently serves as Administrative Manager for Free The Bears.
Mangrove Restoration Technical Lead: Cristina Ciranda
MA graduate in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development; BSc graduate in Plant Science, with a background in sustainable agriculture, including research on climate change adaptation, soil science and food security.
The Community Nursery Team
In 2021, FCEE launched support for a community nursery team who manage the mangrove nursery within Koh Kapik Ramsar Site (KKRS). The all-women team are from Landam village, led by nursery coordinator, Sophea. Together, the team do everything from gathering mangrove propagules to planting mature saplings at the restoration area. To date, the team has cultivated some 15,000 seedlings from 14 mangrove species! The team is building the future of Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration in Cambodia.