Harry Jonas

Dr. Harry Jonas is Senior Director, Conservation Areas. He leads the Conservation Areas Hub, which is accelerating the pace and scale of WWF’s efforts to strengthen, expand, connect, and finance protected and conserved areas across 10 globally important priority landscapes and seascapes. Our strategy aims to support more than two billion hectares of conservation areas and serve 118 million people with nature-based solutions by 2030. This work advances the global 30x30 target, guided by deep respect for the stewards of biodiversity: Indigenous peoples, local communities, rangers, and partners across the public and private sectors.

Harry provides global leadership on ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs)—an emerging framework that recognizes and supports effective nature stewardship outside formally protected areas. He initiated and led the international process that defined the term, and the framework now covers 225 million hectares of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine areas. He co-leads the GEF Heart of Conservation Initiative, which is a partnership of Indigenous-led funds and related organizations advancing the movement for direct funding for Indigenous and traditional territories. His team also contributes to enabling conditions for project finance for permanence as part of the Enduring Earth partnership.

Harry is an international lawyer and a co-founder of Natural Justice, an organization providing legal support to communities across the African continent on human rights and environmental issues. Based in South Africa and Malaysia for more than 15 years, he worked alongside Indigenous peoples’ and local community organizations and coordinated conservation initiatives within both regions.

He is an Ashoka Fellow and has received the Biodiversity International Legal Specialist Award. He applies a ‘legal-political ecology’ frame to understand power, agency, and change in social-ecological systems. His publications focus on innovative, rights-based approaches to conservation and conservation finance.

"Nature and its stewards are in crisis. Our response—and role in the global movement towards ‘living in harmony with Nature’—is as much about taking bold action as it is about deep listening, understanding, and supporting what’s working. It’s through inclusive, rights-based processes that we can catalyze the effective, transformative partnerships required to conserve the diversity of life on Earth and enable communities to flourish."

Education

• PhD: Law and conservation
• LLM: International environmental Law
• PGDL: Law
• BA: Politics

Areas of Expertise

• Protected and conserved areas
• Other effective area-based conservation measures
• Human rights, equity and inclusive conservation
• Conservation effectiveness and customary sustainable use