Sovereign restoration, built with communities from the ground up.

Wovoka develops high-integrity natural capital projects in partnership with Indigenous and local communities, combining land stewardship, restoration finance, and practical tools that help communities protect rights, build income, and shape their own future.

Sovereignty is not a slogan. It is the operating model.

Every Wovoka project is designed around long-term community agency, not short-term extraction.

Person in a jacket and shorts sitting on the edge of a wooden boat on a river surrounded by green trees.

IP Sovereignty

We help communities protect the knowledge, data, and project value connected to their land, culture, and ecological stewardship.

Man working in a shaded nursery area with seedlings in black plastic pots and a blue water container.

Shared Ownership

Projects are structured so local communities are not just participants, but long-term partners in the value created.

Dense green forest covering rolling hills under soft natural light.

Rights-Led Development

We work with legal, scientific, and local partners to support transparent project structures that respect land rights and community priorities.

Person wearing a hat and vest working among dense mangrove branches and leaves.

Local Capacity First

Our model prioritizes local talent, local implementation, and in-country expertise wherever possible.

Lean by design. So more value stays on the ground.

Dirt path winding through dense green tropical jungle with various leafy plants.

Fewer layers

We begin with communities, local institutions, and landscapes where restoration can create lasting ecological and economic value.

Five people standing on a green forest path, smiling and wearing casual outdoor clothing.

Direct partnerships

We work closely with local teams, institutions, and land stewards rather than outsourcing core project functions.

Dense green banana plants with large leaves under sunlight in a tropical setting.

Capital efficiency

More funding goes into restoration, monitoring, and community benefit, not administrative overhead.

Three people on a boat examining a photo book with nature images under sunlight.

Faster execution

A lean structure allows projects to move from concept to implementation without unnecessary delays.

Natural capital only works when communities have real power in the outcome.

The next generation of restoration projects needs more than carbon accounting. It needs community trust, transparent governance, scientific integrity, and structures that respect who holds knowledge, who carries responsibility, and who should benefit from the value created.

Hand holding a green bottle of Buji Vanilla Extract Uganda in a green field with leaves.

Our Partners

A multidisciplinary team for complex restoration work.

Lee Pearson

Chief Executive Officer

Denise Janer

Chief Strategy Officer

Ren Leovido

Head of Carbon and Community

Jack Avancena

Head of Luzon Field Operations

Jong Asuncion

Head of Mindanao Field Operations

Mark Ian Abellon

Business Operations Associate

Shenelle Perera

Head of Business Development

Ayeka Espeleta

Research Associate

Jansel Lumactud

Research Associate on Forest Carbon Development

Scientific advisory board

Dixon Gevana

Social Forestry

Sheldon Zakreski

Carbon Finance

Naveen Lakshmipathy

Geospatial & Climate data science

Jill Wagner

Seed Banking

Ignitius Bwoogi

Community Development

Glenn Banaguas

Climate Resilience

Peter Macreadie

Blue Carbon

Ryan Vidanes

Stakeholder Engagement

Marlea Munez

Indigenous Rights

Kyle Cielo

Biodiversity

Tomas Reyes

Remote Sensing

JC Peralta

Geospatial & Climate data science

Ramil Raviz

Community-led Restoration

Ginny Tiongson

Biodiversity Science