As a Research Consultant and Technical Specialist on Land Policies Information for the New Conservation Areas Philippines Project of WWF-Philippines, Maria Gonzales reviews technical evaluations of local and legal policies relevant to tenurial system in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and assesses indicating gaps, conflicts and overlaps of land policies within the conservation areas in Tawi-Tawi Province. She focuses on community-based information and educational campaigns with youth to encourage their collaboration as part of the solution to coastal community environmental conservation. She intends to continue her work promoting volunteerism and advocacy on environmental conservation among community youth groups.
While in the U.S., Maria worked at the Great Basin Resource Watch [8] focusing on community-initiated efforts in environmental conservation and protection of indigenous lands in Northern Nevada.