MC (Marieke) van der Zon

Marieke van der Zon is defening her PhD on community forest management in the Peruvian Amazon in February 2026. Marieke lives in Peru, where she works with the Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern and the International Potato Center (CIP). Her current research focusses on how REDD+ and PES programs impact on the wellbeing of Indigenous people and local communities in the rainforest and mountains. Trained in public administration and environmental management, during the las 20 years she has led research and project work across Latin America, Africa, and Asia with the World Bank, Microjustice4All, and grassroots organizations. Marieke also founded and manages CaféLink, a social enterprise connecting Amazonian coffee farmers to sustainable markets.