Biography

In her work for the Natural Capital Project, Leah Bremer designs monitoring programs to evaluate how sustainable watershed management investments impact ecosystem services and human well-being.  Her work is part of a larger effort among the Natural Capital Project, the Nature Conservancy, and the Latin American Water Funds Partnership, to improve the efficacy and efficiency of watershed investments.  She also works with University of Hawai’i, Manoa, to adapt and develop ecosystem services tradeoff models suited to the unique biophysical, socio-cultural, and economic contexts of Hawai’i and other areas of the Pacific. 

Leah has a passion for examining the joint human and ecological dimensions of conservation and environmental change. Her previous work includes research on the ecological and socio-economic outcomes of payment for ecosystem services programs in the Andes, as well as professional work in conservation, environmental education, and community development. She has a Ph.D. in Geography from UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State University, an M.S. in Conservation Biology from Victoria University of Wellington and Macquarie University in Sydney, and a B.A. in Psychology from Northwestern University. She has received grants through the Rotary Foundation and the Fulbright foundation, among others.  She also enjoys trail running, biking, surfing (in warm water), kayaking, and backpacking.