As a young boy, Jayson was captivated by the beauty of the Philippine Eagle in photos of the National Geographic Magazine. Fast forward 1996, and Jayson got his dream job at the Philippine Eagle Foundation, where he had the rare opportunity to see the critically endangered Philippine national bird in the wild. This encounter with the bird and its habitat changed his life forever.
Since 2012, he has led the research and conversation program of the Philippine Eagle Foundation as its Director and Chief Scientist. In 2015, Dr Jayson Ibanez received his PhD in Natural Resource Management from Charles Darwin University, with his dissertation becoming the Foundation’s standard for indigenous conservation engagements. He has also pioneered research on Philippine eagle home range, survival and habitat through radio, satellite and GPS/DSM telemetry.
Featured in a number of international wildlife documentaries, including the “Bird of Prey” by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the “Queen of Birds” by Dan O’Neill and Wilderland-UK, Jayson has received a slew of high-profile awards including the Bronze Award from UK-based BP Conservation Program, Yale International Society for Tropical Forester’s Innovation Prize, and was presented with a Whitley Award by Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal in 2015. Often referred to as the ‘Green Oscars’, this award recognizes and supports conservationists from around the world who are making a difference through grassroots and science-based approaches.