Ts. Dr. Elia Binti Godoong

Ts. Dr. Elia Godoong is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) (since 2021), having previously served at the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, UMS (2008-2021). She also held a director post at the Centre for Sustainable Society Engagement (CSSE) until Oct 2024, UMS, including Deputy Director (2020-2022). She earned her Ph.D. in Natural Science from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, specializing in Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies. Her expertise lies in forest conservation ecology, with a focus on habitat utilization modeling, GIS and Remote Sensing applications, High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF), forest rehabilitation, restoration, and carbon sequestration. Dr. Elia has been involved in various research and consultancy projects, including social baseline studies for the Ecolink project, cultural and natural resource mapping, vegetation assessments, community engagement, Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM), and HCVF assessments. She is also actively engaged in river riparian health assessment and rehabilitation efforts. Internationally, she was appointed as a Technical Expert for the ASEAN Heritage Park evaluation of Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary and Tanintharyi Nature Reserve in Myanmar. She has also collaborated in the design and establishment of Permanent Sample Plots (PSPs) for long-term ecological research. At the national level, she serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) under the National Water Sector Transformation 2040 (WST2040). Her contributions extend to advocacy, capacity building, and public engagement initiatives. With a strong commitment to science-driven conservation, Dr. Elia advances research and restoration initiatives while leading efforts in forest ecology, carbon storage, emissions reduction, and community-based environmental management to promote resilient and sustainable forest ecosystems.