Théa Jacob

Théa is the marine species and sustainable fisheries expert for WWF France based in Marseille.

Théa was born in the South of France, and spent her childhood in the countryside. From a young age, she has been passionate defending and protecting nature. In University, Théa started studying environmental law before shifting to marine biology in 2007. Afterwards she worked on conservation projects on marine turtles in the Indian Ocean and on coral reefs in Australia.

In 2010, Théa moved to New Caledonia in the Pacific to join the French Marine Protected Areas Agency, where she developed dugong, marine turtle and humpback whale conservation plans. In 2012, she joined WWF focusing on marine turtle and dugong monitoring and conservation, and co-management of marine protected areas with indigenous communities.

In 2016, Théa moved closer to her family roots, the Mediterranean, by joining the WWF France based in Marseille. Since then, she has worked on marine mammal, turtle, shark and ray conservation as well as improving small scale fisheries sustainability in the Mediterranean and beyond. Her key interests are developing strategies mitigate the impacts of growing marine traffic and fisheries in cetaceans.

Théa values collaborative and participatory approach to conservation to achieve a collective success, which is key tackling difficult environmental issues worldwide.