1. Arbi J. Sarkissian
+34 634 313 476 (Spain)  arbi.sarkissian@outlook.com
Education
2011 – 2014 PhD in Environmental Economics (Forestry) – School of Environment, Bangor University, Wales, UK
2004 – 2005 MSc in Ethnobotany – School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
1999 – 2003 BA (dual) in Anthropology and Latin American Studies – University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA
Professional Experience
2015 (Apr – Present) ‘Proyecto Eco-Granja’ – Partida La Cañada, Ollería, Valencia, Spain
Consultant (permaculture & agro-ecology)
Design and application of sustainability measures (water, soil and biodiversity conservation)
2014 (Jan – Apr) Bangor University (SENRGy) – Bangor, Wales, UK
Editorial administrator
Edited and formatted EU-funded ‘Best Environmental Management Practices’ report (2014)
2013 (Aug – Oct) EcoConsulting UK, Ltd. (a BREEAM Consultancy Group) – Batroun, Lebanon
Ecological consultant
Consultancy on protection of ecological features and enhancement of site ecology for Casa
Batroun
2006 – 2011 Nature Conservation Center – American University of Beirut (AUB-NCC), Lebanon
Project Coordinator
Initiated and managed a community tree planting programme with over 100 villages in Lebanon;
produced planting and production protocols for 30 native species; mentored staff, interns and
volunteers on various projects and research assignments; conducted seminars, workshops, and
trainings for university students; produced technical and donor reports for the programme
2009 (Mar – Sep) Greenstone Real Estate Developers, S.A.L. – Yarzé, Baabda, Lebanon
Ecological consultant
Consultancy on protection of ecological features and enhancement of site ecology for
Residences La Broceliande
2003 – 2004 Carson-Magness Landscapers, Inc. – Glendale, California, USA
Head foreman & landscape technician
All types of installations, xeriscaping specialist, drip-system irrigation, lighting, and design
Awards and Scholarships
Khaldoun Barakat Research Fund – Scholarship for PhD studies at Bangor awarded through the Nature Conservation
Center at the American University of Beirut (AUB-NCC )
Rotary Club of Los Angeles – Grant recipient (‘Innovative Research Proposals’), research stipend for MSc programme at
the University of Kent
Workshops, Certifications and Conferences
Conference Participant: II Congreso Forestal de la Comunitat Valenciana; Feb 25-26, 2016 – Segorbe (Castelló), Spain
Conference Participant: SwitchMed Connect; Oct 29-30, 2015 – Barcelona, Spain
Certificate: Training in coding/programming, High-Powered Computing of Wales; Feb-Apr, 2015 – Bangor University
Workshop: Statistical modelling using ‘R’ (Dr Jamie Owen); Mar 26-27, 2015 – Bangor University
Workshop: Latex (Dr Robert Annewandter); Nov 29, 2013 – Bangor University (coordinator & participant)
Workshop: UNFF reporting on Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) in Lebanon; Jun 8-9, 2012 – Beirut, Lebanon
Certificate: CITI Responsible Conduct in Social-Behavioural Research; Nov-Dec, 2011 – Beirut, Lebanon

2. Conference Participant: ICF – Trees and the Built Environment, Apr 13-14, 2011 – Birmingham, UK
Training & Workshop: USFS Study Tour on Reforestation & Nurseries, May 8-15, 2010 – Montana, Idaho, & California
Conference Participant: UN Conference on Climate Change and Risk Management, Dec 2010 – Beirut, Lebanon
Presentations and Teaching
Presentation: IUFRO World Congress; Oct 5-11, 2014 – Salt Lake City, Utah, USA (presented chapter 5 of thesis)
Presentation: Forest Change 2014; April 2-4, 2014 – Freising, Bavaria, Germany (presented chapter 3 of thesis)
Teaching: Seminar on “tragedy of the commons” for postgraduate students (ELCOS); Dec 12, 2013 – Bangor University
Assisted Teaching: Valuation practical & fieldtrip (Coedydd Aber, Wales); Nov 20-22, 2013 – Bangor University
Presentation: Postgraduate Research Talks; Feb 14, 2013 – Bangor University (presented chapter 2 of thesis)
Presentation: AUB-NCC Research Conference; 23 June, 2012 – Beirut, Lebanon (presented chapter 1 of thesis)
Research Skills
Qualitative Research: Ethnographic interviews, focus group studies, and grounded data analysis [NVIVO and Atlas.ti]
Quantitative Research: Environmental valuation (stated preference methods), Cost-Benefit Analysis, Choice modelling
Other IT/Admin: MS Office suite [Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Visio], RefWorks, ArcGIS (basic), Java (basic)
Statistics software packages: SPSS, Sawtooth CBC, NLOGIT, STATA (basic), and ‘R’ (basic)
Field/Technical (transferrable): Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) – Knowledge of Mediterranean forest-woodland-
shrub habitats, species identification, seed collection, site evaluation and species selection, propagation
methods, small-scale nursery installation and management, and reforestation techniques
Extracurricular Achievements
2009 – 2011 ‘Volta ao Mundo’ – Lebanese-Brazilian Connection (NGO), Beirut, Lebanon
President and Co-Founder
Developed the institutional framework for the organization, interviewed and hired instructors to provide
capoeira lessons for underprivileged and at-risk youth from marginalized communities
2006 – 2011 ‘Grupo Capoeira Sobreviventes’ – United Capoeira Association (UCA), Beirut, Lebanon
Founder and Instructor
Founded the first Capoeira group in Lebanon (May 2006); taught beginner and intermediate level
classes; facilitated the group’s official entry under the United Capoeira Association (Berkeley, California)
in 2010
Volunteer Experience and Affiliations
2012 British Ecological Society (BES) – Agricultural Ecology Specialist Group (member)
2012 Postgraduate Student Ambassador – Mentor for overseas students – Bangor University, Wales, UK (volunteer)
2009 Volta ao Mundo, Beirut, Lebanon – grant writing, fundraising, and other administrative (volunteer)
Languages (written and spoken)
English (fluent), Spanish (fluent), Portuguese (fluent), Armenian (moderate), Arabic (basic), French (basic)
References
Dr Salma N. Talhouk; Professor and Chair of the Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management,
American University of Beirut; ntsalma@aub.edu.lb; tel. +961 1 350 000 ext. 4508
Dr Neal J. Hockley; Lecturer in Economics & Policy, School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor
University, Wales, UK; n.hockley@bangor.ac.uk; tel. +44 1248 382 769
Dr Rob M. Brook; Senior Lecturer in Agriculture and Rural Development , School of Environment, Natural Resources
and Geography, Bangor University, Wales, UK; r.m.brook@bangor.ac.uk; tel. +44 1248 382517

3. Publications
Sarkissian, A.J., S.R. Onjamirindra, R.M. Brook, S.N. Talhouk, and N.J. Hockley. 2016. “Can Ecosystem Services be
Bundled? Quantifying Trade-offs in Payments for Reforestation in Lebanon.” Journal of Environmental Economics and
Policy (manuscript in preparation for submission)
Sarkissian, A.J., S.N. Talhouk, R.M. Brook, and N.J. Hockley. 2016. “Prospects for designing biodiversity-enhancing
reforestation incentives with Lebanese municipalities.” Conservation & Society (manuscript in preparation for
submission)
Sarkissian, A.J., S.N. Talhouk, R.M. Brook, and N.J. Hockley. 2016. “Prioritising native tree species for reforestation
efforts in Lebanon.” Unasylva. UN-FAO, Rome (manuscript in preparation for submission)
Sarkissian, A.J., R.M. Brook, S.N. Talhouk, S.N., and N.J. Hockley. 2016. “Asset-building payments for ecosystem
services: assessing landowner perceptions of risks and reward from reforestation incentives in Lebanon.” Small-scale
Forestry (manuscript in review).
Sarkissian, A.J. Exploring Payments for Ecosystem Services in the Context of Native Tree Planting in Lebanon, 2015
(March), Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom (unpublished doctoral thesis).
Sarkissian, A.J. Chapter 1: Introduction in Batal, M. & S.N. Talhouk (Eds.). 2015. Food and Health in Rural Lebanon:
Options to Improve Dietary Diversity, Food Security, Livelihoods, and Ecosystem Management. American University of
Beirut Press (pending publication)
Yazbeck, M., El-Zein, M., Slim, K., Sarkissian, A.J., and Talhouk, S.N. 2014. Lebanon’s Native Trees & Shrubs: An
Ethnobotanical Pictorial. American University of Beirut Press, Beirut, Lebanon
Sarkissian, A.J., Slim, K., and Talhouk, S.N. AUB-NCC Report on Power of Planting Program: Results from Three Seasons
of Community Tree Planting and Seedling Production at AREC. 2010 (unpublished report
Sarkissian, A.J. Wanted: Dead or Alive? Opportunistic Urban Greening by the Invasive Tree-of-Heaven (Alianthus
altissima) in Beirut, Lebanon. 2008 (poster presented at AUB-NCC’s annual International Biodiversity Day – IBDAA).
Sarkissian, A.J. ‘Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow’, biannual donor newsletters (principal writer and editor from
spring 2008 – fall 2010)
Sarkissian, A.J. 2005. Sacred and medicinal markets: an ethnobotanical study of the exploitation, conservation and
management of medicinal and liturgical plants amongst local people of Bahia, Brazil (unpublished MSc thesis)