James Kho

Senior fellow | community-based natural resources management, science-based consensus-building, alternative dispute resolution, fisheries management, protected areas management, and climate resilience

James has more than 20 years of practice in environmental governance at the national and community levels. He co-authored a book reviewing the Philippine experience in community-based natural resources management and has assisted the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in developing policies to establish and operationalize Fisheries Management Areas. He was instrumental in drafting key environmental policies, including the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 7586 (“The National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act”), Republic Act No. 9275 (“The Clean Water Act”), and Republic Act No. 9285 (“Alternative Dispute Resolution Act”). 

James is passionate about science-informed consensus-building. He developed capacity-building programs to enable different stakeholder groups to make informed decisions using relevant, reliable, and understandable scientific data and analyses. He applied this in assisting the Department of Agriculture to revise rules and regulations on the use of genetically-modified organisms, effectively bridging and addressing the interests of stakeholders with polar opposite positions. He works with communities and government agencies to understand and translate complex legal and scientific information that can be used for advocacy and to inform management actions.