Tanya Wahbe, PhD

Experience

Tanya Wahbe (she/her) is a member of the Shouf Muwahideen People from the mountains of Lebanon. She has lived on ancestral and unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, səl̓ilwətaʔɬ Territories since 1994. Tanya began her journey with Firelight in 2024 as Research Director for the Stewardship team.

Since 1997, Tanya has been involved in conserving lands and waters and supporting Indigenous community health initiatives. She holds an MSc and a PhD in Applied Conservation Research from UBC, focusing on the impacts of forestry on species at risk. Additionally, Tanya has completed postdoctoral training at the Institute for Aboriginal Health, where she investigated Indigenous-led issues related to contaminant impacts on food and medicine security.

Tanya has worked with Indigenous Nations across various regions, including the Salish Sea, Clayoquot Sound, Central Coast, Haida Gwaii, West Chilcotin, Peace River region, and upper Fraser Valley in British Columbia, as well as northeastern Alberta, Yukon, Nunavik, southeastern Ontario, and Nunavut. Her experience spans universities, government organizations in the US and Canada, provincial and national non-profit organizations, and the private sector. Tanya has worked internationally in Perú, the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Lebanon, and Ecuador.

Since 2015, Tanya has been an adjunct professor in the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems, collaborating on Indigenous initiatives, including land-based research and food security, while serving on graduate student supervisory committees.