Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

CEO at Taking Root

Dr Kahlil Baker is an entrepreneur, economist and forest scientist focused on finding solutions to tropical deforestation. He is the co-founder and executive director of Taking Root- an organization that develops smallholder reforestation programs using the Plan Vivo Standard. For his work with Taking Root, he was profiled on the CBC as one of Canada’s next generation of changemakers and received the Meritorious Service Cross, one of the highest honours bestowed by the governor-general of Canada. Kahlil holds a permaculture design certificate and degrees in international development, economics, forest statistics, and forest economics. 

Environmental Scientist and Nature Based Solutions Expert 

Jenny is a researcher with Newcastle University and an environmental consultant, with 15 years of diverse experience working on the dynamics of land use and land use change, ecosystem service provision, community-based natural resource management and carbon market opportunities. She has a strong history of work in Uganda, where she co-founded the Uganda Carbon Bureau in 2006 and more recently Bubugo Conservation Trust in 2015, and has worked extensively in the country’s environmental sector. She has particular expertise in the measurement and modelling of soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions from land use change in tropical peatlands, which she studied for her PhD and in post-doctoral positions. 

Forest Conservation Directorate at Ministry of Environment

George is a forestry and climate change expert with over 14 years’ experience. He holds an M.Sc. in Natural Resource Management and M.Sc. in Climate Change and is pursuing PhD in Natural Resource Management. George works for Kenya Forest Service and is a member of Green House Gas Inventory (GHG), REDD+ and Forest and Landscape restoration technical working groups in Kenya. He also chairs the Scientific Committee of Forestry Society of Kenya, Certified expert on Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit and UNFCCC FULO and REDD+. In addition to being a TAC member for Plan Vivo, he is a part of the Forest Innovation Working Group of the VERRA Group. 

Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge

Dr Charlotte Wheeler is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge working with the Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits. Charlotte’s expertise is in the field of tropical forest restoration, specialising in carbon and biodiversity monitoring of forest restoration projects, having conducted research in restoration projects in Malaysia, Uganda and Mexico. She is also experienced in mapping changes in forest biomass, linked to degradation and land-use change, using remote sensing techniques. Charlotte is particularly interested in understanding the global climate change mitigation potential of forest restoration, and how restoration-planning decisions influence carbon sequestration. 

Senior Technical Expert at GreenCollar

Dr Blanca Bernal, currently working at GreenCollar, is a wetland biogeochemist, experienced in carbon accounting and calculation of emission factors associated with land use and land use change. She has investigated carbon sequestration strategies for climate change mitigation, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem response to environmental change, nutrient cycling in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the implications of environmental impacts on ecosystem services. Blanca has been involved with Plan Vivo since 2015, and is particularly interested in contributing to strengthen mechanisms that foster conservation and restoration of forests and blue carbon ecosystems. 

Partner at The Landscapes and Livelihoods Group

Dr Nicholas Berry is a Partner at The Landscapes and Livelihoods Group (TLLG) – an organisation he helped establish to support Plan Vivo projects and other community-led natural resource management initiatives. He specialises in assessment and monitoring of carbon, biodiversity and ecosystem services and has worked in more than 20 countries throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Nick has been involved with Plan Vivo since 2008, providing technical support to projects and developing methodologies for assessment of climate benefits from forest protection, agroforestry and climate-smart agriculture. He has contributed to the revision of the Standard in 2013 and 2022.