SECRET FOREST
About Us
Sandra Felipa
Co-founder, Secretary of the Board, Media Administrator, & Cusco Office Manager, Fauna Forever
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Director of Finance, Wilderness International Peru
Head Field Research Coordinator, Fauna Forever
Forest Guardian Manager, Wilderness International Peru
Our Team
​Dr. Chris Kirkby
CEO, Secret Forest Station,
Fauna Forever, Wilderness International Peru
Chris is a team builder with a lifelong passion for science, nature conservation, and sustainability. He is very focused on finding pragmatic solutions to the age-old problems of environmental degradation, poverty, and low education standards in developing countries, in his push for a healthier and more balanced life for all. He has a PhD in Biology from the University of East Anglia, an MRes in Ecology and Environmental Management from the University of York, and a BSc in Ecology from the University of Edinburgh. He is member of the Oversight Committee of the Tambopata National Reserve and has been an environmental consultant to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Conservation International, Amazon Conservation Association, among others. He is also involved with Wilderness International, a group of organisations that protect forest wilderness areas around the world using carbon-based finance. Chris has been working in the Peruvian Amazon for 25 years and enjoys travelling, hiking, bird watching, and photography. Chris is British, is married, has two daughters, and divides his time between Cusco and Puerto Maldonado, Peru.
Sandra is a communications and resilience specialist, and advocate for sustainable living, gender equality, community inclusion, ecotourism development, and environmental education. She has a BA in Journalism from the Jaime Bausate & Mesa School of Journalism and has worked as a television and radio reporter, producer and director of radio programs, communications consultant, environmental education consultant, in addition to various project management and administration positions. With over twenty years of experience working in Lima, Cusco, and Puerto Maldonado, she brings a can-do mentality to the team and helps everyone understand the importance of pragmatic thinking and communication when it comes to getting things done in Peru. She enjoys reading, travelling, interior design, gardening, and bringing up kids. Sandra is Peruvian, she is married, has two daughters, and lives in Cusco, Peru.
Flor Ugarte Villavicencio
''I was born amidst the mountains of the Andes in Urcos, near Cusco, a wonderful place filled with nature back then. As a child, I moved with my family to Madre de Dios, where I have lived for over 45 years. I love the trees, the rivers, the streams and waterfalls, the warmth, and the sound of nature and its thousands of species, although I must admit I don't particularly like mosquitoes. I have worked for numerous institutions in the city of Puerto Maldonado, from tourist lodges to government organizations and family businesses, but working with Wilderness International is the most rewarding, because I see that we are preserving these things that I love so much. Even more, when I feel that I can be a spokesperson for this institution to raise awareness among humanity about how to care for, protect, and conserve our beautiful nature.''
Stefany Rado Serrano
''The path of biology taught me to respect, value, and above all, love nature. It brought me here, to my beloved jungle, to carry out important work. This brings to mind what a great poet once said, 'You can turn a tree into firewood and it will burn for you, but it won't produce flowers or fruits for your children'- Rabindranath Tagore. These are not just words anymore; it's our reality. Studying and, above all, protecting what I am most passionate about is inexplicable. Being able to turn it into my job is one of the best gifts life could offer me. I studied biology at UNSAAC in Cusco, and since then, I have worked on several projects in the Madre de Dios region, including an environmental study for the regeneration of natural areas destroyed by gold mining and the renaturalization of endangered tree species.''
Chris Ketola
Chris has extensive biological research, wildlife handling, and environmental outreach experience, having worked for many years in zoos, animal rescue centres, and volunteer-based research initiatives, mainly in Canada. He has worked for organisations such as the Ontario Specialized Species Centre, Bird Studies Canada, Toronto Region Conservation Authority, and Ontario Bioblitz. He is specialized in herpetofauna, birds, bats, environmental education and volunteer management. He first came to Peru in 2017, when he was an intern on Fauna Forever’s bird research team. His biological knowledge and skills were duly spotted and he was asked to return to help lead herpetofauna and raptor research projects in 2018. Chris is Canadian, and when he is not in the field he enjoys watching sports, sci-fi and fantasy.
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OUR WORK & MISSION
Secret Forest Station has been the primary base of operation for research nonprofit Fauna Forever for over 10 years, conducting long-term biodiversity monitoring while also granting students and other researchers the opportunity to learn the methods of ecological science and conduct thesis research.
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In 2022, Fauna Forever began a long-term partnership with Wilderness International Perú (WIPERU) to conserve even larger stretches of forest in the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve. Today, SFO's partner agencies together have protected and now manage over 3500 hectares of lowland Amazonian forest (through both private titled lands and forest concessions) in the region, preventing illegal depredation activities and granting capacitation and employment opportunities to local community members as forest guardians.
Your stay at SFO directly contributes to our conservation mission and helps ensure that this magnificent piece of the Amazon remains intact for future generations to study, appreciate, and explore.